What This Life Should Be
by Rogue Darth Skywalker
Summary: Sequel to Between You and an OR, I'll Take the OR. Anakin and Padme have been dating for two years. Everything is going exactly as they had hoped. But when things start to go wrong, how will they manage their lives which just seem to attract all sorts of chaos? (Title may change).
1. Chapter 1

I've had this in the works for a while now but I've been going back and forth between all my other stories so much it is hard to keep updates consistent. I am super excited to actually write this though! I have most of it already planned out and several chapters already written. Now it is just about putting the pieces together and filling in the blanks! Also if anyone has suggestions for a better title, I'm all ears.

Happy reading!

-DFD

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Chapter 1

Thirty. It was hard to believe she was now thirty years old. When she had turned twenty, thirty had seemed so far away and only when she turned twenty-nine did she realize how close it really was. Thirty. It just didn't seem real and yet the small pile of cards with the number '30' printed in bright colors seemed to support the fact that she was now thirty. In a way, this was not what she expected when she turned thirty. She hadn't expected to be sitting here in a bar with four of her closest friends and Anakin. She had hoped that by now she would at least be married or have a child or two; but with everything that had happened the first year she got back with Anakin, she is just glad to still have him.

Picking up one of the last two gifts, she reads the card from Dorme that makes an obvious jab at her age again, narrowing her eyes at the woman, who simply smiles into her drink. Padme swallows, recognizing that smile from anywhere. It means whatever is in the small box is not something she wants to hold up for the world to see, it also means the gift isn't _just_ for her. Looking down at the box, she lifts the lid just enough to peek inside before closing it and thanking Dorme while pushing it to the side and quickly moving on to the last one.

This one didn't have a card, but as she had already opened gifts from Bail, Ben, Satine and Dorme, it only left Anakin. The small box was held shut only by a blue ribbon tied in a bow. Pulling the ribbon off, she lifts the lid and gasps. Reaching inside, she picks up a familiar silver chain she never thought she'd see again. She can feel Anakin rubbing her arm as she pulls it out of the box, her other hand coming to cup the small piece of wood hanging off the chain.

"I found it a while ago," He explained, "I was just waiting for the right time to return it to you."

Her fingers trace over the swirled patterns carved into the surface before lifting the chain over her head and letting the piece fall to rest between her breasts. Looking up at Anakin, she brings her hand to cup his cheek, pulling him down and kissing him deeply, "Thank you." She murmurs as they pull apart, "It's perfect." He smiles down at her and kisses her again, his hand coming to trace her cheek.

Ben Clears his throat, pulling their attention away from each other. Over the two years they had been together, they had all but gotten rid of any embarrassment from showing their affection for one another. Ben raised his glass high and the others followed suit as well, "Happy Birthday, Padme," He said as the others echoed the words as well. Padme smiled and gave her thanks to them once again as they clanked glasses. Now that the festivities sounding her were done, she was glad when Bail asked Satine about the emergency operation she had that had pushed his colonoscopy to tomorrow.

Anakin's arm was still around her shoulders as the conversation drifted away from them for the moment. Brining his head closer to hers, he brought his lips close to her ear, "What did Dorme get you?" He whispered, she could tell he had a smile on his face just from the way he said it.

Smiling herself she turned her head to meet his gaze, "You'll find out tonight." She said, bringing her index finger to trace the collar of his grey t-shirt. She could feel his shaky exhale, as he took a quick glance at his watch.

"Lets go home now." He said, "It's already after nine."

Padme laughed, unsurprised by his reaction. He was insatiable and his need for her was unwavering. In a way that knowledge made this birthday a lot easier. Had she been single, she probably would have felt more like an old spinster than a woman loved and desired. "Patience." She said, "It'd be rude if we just left." Anakin opened his mouth to retort but was cut off when Satine asked her about the patient who came in earlier with a crushed spine. Padme turned her attention back to the rest of the group, happy to explain what happened while she rested her hand on Anakin's leg, a promise for later. The action quelled him for the moment, but she knew they might not end up getting much sleep tonight. The thought brought a smile to her lips and sent excited heat between her legs. This birthday was turning out better than she thought it would.

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Her back slammed into the door of their apartment as Anakin pressed his lips firmly to hers. One of his hands was pressed against the door next to her head while his other hand fumbled with the keys. She had one hand wrapped tightly in his hair, keeping his head in place while the other held the bag with her gifts. At the sound of the click from the lock disengaging, her hand fell onto the knob to open it. Without the door holding her up anymore, the two of them stumbled inside before he quickly kicked the door shut and she threw the bag onto the floor. They kept their lips locked together a moment longer before Padme pushed his head away, her fingers tracing the stubble on his jaw. "I'l be right back." She said, pulling away from his embrace and sifting through the bag and retrieving the gift Dorme had gotten her and disappearing into the bathroom.

On the other side of the bathroom door, she could hear Anakin's heavy footfalls as he went into the bedroom. Opening the box, she pulls out the thin lace black teddy Dorme bought her. Padme smiled as she imagined the look she'd get when he sees this. Slipping out of her clothes, she pulls the teddy on. It hugs her figure nicely, accentuating the curves of her hips and the swell of her breasts. Taking a moment to look herself over, she reminds herself to thank Dorme when she has the chance before opening the door to enter the bedroom.

Just as she expected, Anakin was seated on the side of the bed, his shirt already on the floor by the door. The moment his eyes land on her, she waits as his eyes take in the sight of her. Padme smiles when his eyes meet hers, unable to hide his appreciation of Dorme's gift. "You're so beautiful," He says with a genuine smile on his face.

Padme slowly steps towards him, placing her hands just above his belt and running her hands up his body, feeling how the firm muscle twitches under her touch. Sliding her hands over his shoulders and around the back of his neck, she feels his hands pull her body flush against him, the bulge in his jeans pressed firmly against her hips, "I'm glad you think so" She says, ghosting a kiss over his lips. He leans closer in an attempt to deepen the kiss, but fails as she pulls back. Pushing down on his shoulders, she encourages him to sit back down on the edge of the bed. His eyes follow hers as she slowly moves to straddle his waist, his hands falling to her hips to steady her as she lowers herself. Padme gasps as she feels him against her. Repeating the action pulls a groan from his lips as the grip on her hips tightens, "God, Padme…" He says, his voice strained as he shifts to grind against her.

She smiles, bringing her lips to his neck, nipping at the skin lightly just the way she knows he likes it. Her right hand trails down the ridges of his torso, until it reaches his belt. Tugging at the leather strap and buckle, she pulls it open before fiddling with the button and zipper. Taking a hand off her hip, he lifts his own to aid her in pulling off the jeans, letting out a grunt as she palms him through his boxers. Smiling against his neck, she wraps her fingers around him, pulling and twisting as she dragged her hand to the head. The sounds he made sent a wave of arousal between her legs as his breathe tickled the hair on her feels his hands on her back as they make their way up to her shoulders. Gripping the straps, he pulls them down just enough for her breasts to pop out. With one fluid motion, he flips them over, crawling over her body, pressing a tender kiss to the top of her breast before flicking his tongue over her nipple and sucking it into his mouth. "Ani… Oh, yes," Padme's arms wrap around his head, keeping him pressed to her chest as he suckles on the hardened nub. Spreading her legs, she presses up, grinding against his groin. His sharp intake of breath accompanied by the way his hips seek hers, pulls a soft sigh from her lips as she bites into her bottom lip. She wants him. She wants him now. As nice as teasing and foreplay is, and as much as she enjoys it, she needs more right now.

Pushing at his shoulders, he releases her breast with a wet pop, his eyes meeting hers, as if trying to determine what she wants. It takes only a moment for a smirk to cross his lips and his hands to fist in the material of her teddy, pulling it down and off of her body, letting it fall forgotten to the floor. Sitting up, Padme cups his cheek, bringing his face to hers as she kisses him hungerly, his hands run up and down her sides, sending shivers in their wake. Her hand finds the waistband of his boxers, pulling it down just enough so his member springs free. Pulling back from the kiss, she focused on his face as she slowly pumped him. His eyes were closed, lips parted and his shoulders shook from the pleasure she gave him. After a few minutes, his eyes opened and he placed his hand over hers on his cock, pulling it away from him. Padme shifted to settle on the pillow while he reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom. Ripping the foil with his teeth, he rolled it on, his eyes never leaving hers as he gave himself one final pump before settling over her again.

Padme rested her hands on his strong biceps while he reached between them to position himself. At the feel of him rubbing against her folds, she shifted to get more friction while his cock slid along her opening. Her lips parted in a moan as he brushed against her clit before he pulled back and aligned himself with her. With a single hard thrust, he entered her, his head falling to her shoulder while her legs wrapped around his waist. They fall into a quick lust filled rhythm, the sound of the bed creaking accompanied by the sound of their grunts and moans and the slap of flesh as they seek the bliss they can only get from each other.

"You're so…So tight…" Anakin grunted into her neck, "I can't…can't get enough."

Her hand fist in his hair as he whispers to her how good she feels to him, his words make her walls clench tightly around him as he brings her closer and closer to the edge, "Oh, Anakin… Love you… I love you so much. Don't stop. Don't ever stop." Pressing her hips up to his, she moans as he brushes against her clit. She's so close. And she knows he is too. His pace picks up as his cock inside her twitches until he is too far gone. Padme closes her eyes tight and squeezes her legs around his waist as she comes, moaning his name loudly. With one hard thrust, he is quick to follow, her walls milking every drop out of him until he is a heap of muscle over her.

Padme rubs her arms over his back for several moments, relishing the post-sex bliss of still being connected to him. She loved these moments. She could feel his heart pumping against her chest, the slickness of their skin, and every inch of their bodies overly sensitive. After a moment, Anakin is able to recover enough to pull out of her and dispose of the condom into the trash bin right next to the bed before rolling over onto his back, pulling her to follow him. Tucked into the crook of his arm, she smiles as she places a languid kiss to his chest, "I have to say, this was by far the best birthday gift." She said, a light blush on her cheeks.

The rumble of his laughter shook her as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her brow, "Happy birthday, Angel." He said, pulling the covers over them, allowing the exhaustion to take hold. As much as he wished he could treat her to a second round, they both knew he had to be up bright and early the next day. He had something very important to do.


	2. Chapter 2

I've had this chapter planned since about halfway through the BYOR and it has been sitting on my phone ever since and I am so happy it is finally out in the open! I'm actually surprised I managed to update this story so fast with all the college stuff I'm doing this is a real accomplishment and hopefully a sign that a good writing streak is starting.

We'll just have to wait and see though!

Enjoy!

-DFD

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Chapter 2

The alarm on his phone woke him promptly at six in the morning. Padme was still curled into his arms, making him for a split second reconsider leaving, but if he didn't go now, he doubted he never would. Planting a kiss on her bare shoulder, he made to turn to get out of bed. Padme moaned as he moved and she was quick to turn his way, wrapping her arm across his chest and her legs over his thighs. "No." She murmured, "Stay. It's too early."

Anakin sighed and detangled himself from her before kissing her lips lightly, "Sorry, Angel." He said, "But if I don't go now, Rex'll never forgive me for leaving him at the airport."

"He can take a cab. And you can do your guys weekend thing another time."

Anakin laughed and kissed her once more, "I'll be back before you know it." He said, "I love you." Pulling the cover over her shoulder, he retreated into the bathroom to quickly get ready for the weekend. After a quick shower and throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, he took one last glance at Padme as she slept before picking up his duffle bag and jacket and walking out the door.

He was nervous as he rode his motorbike. He feels somewhat bad about lying to Padme. He isn't going to spend the weekend with Rex- he isn't even back from tour yet. Instead, he is going up to Naboo. The ride up will take up a good part of the day and it will take another to get back home. His mind raced with the hundreds of ways this trip could go wrong, but he had to do it. For Padme. The duffle bag slung over his shoulder had been packed days in advance with his best suit and an expensive bottle of wine. He knew this day was coming and he had spent hours meticulously planning out how all of this would happen. He had a mental list of small talk prepared as well as explanations for everything he could think of that would be asked of him. He only hoped things went well enough that he wouldn't leave empty handed.

By the time he pulled into the cheap motel it was already after eight at night and his palms were sweaty. After checking in, he laid out his suit, taking extra care to smooth out all the wrinkles in it before hanging it on the bathroom door. Peeling off his sweaty shirt, he dropped it to the floor, pacing several times as he tried to calm his nerves before deciding it was pointless to calm down and opted to climb into bed instead. Still in his jeans, he rested his head against the pillow, his eyes on the ceiling for a few minutes before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small blue velvet box and opening it. The ring inside was beautiful. Better than the first ring he had gotten her. He had been saving for it for months but he had already known this was going to happen ever since all the chaos in their lives ended. Anakin smiled as he stared at the center diamond, tilting it in the case and watching as it caught the light. This time everything would be perfect and that started with going about all of this the right way. It started with being the perfect gentleman and asking her parent's permission to marry her.

He had only seen her parents on two occasions in the last two years and neither of them went well at all. Despite his best efforts, he had never completely won her parents over and both of them had their reservations about his part in their daughter's life. Her father was the more vocal about these concerns but they knew from her mother's silence and how she watched Anakin carefully that she wasn't happy about this relationship either. Both instances hurt Padme greatly and both resulted in him sitting up late with her as she tried to convince, mostly herself, that their opinions didn't matter. But he knew that they did. He knew how much she wanted her parents to accept him and how she would want them there when they did get married and there was nothing that was going to stop him from at least trying.

Closing the case, he held it tightly in his hand before putting it back in his jeans. He was absolutly terrified he would lose it- always afraid that when the moment came he would forget it or put is somewhere and never find it. To prevent that, he's been keeping it in his pocket so he always knows where it is. If he is being honest, its a wonder Padme never noticed it when they had sex, but then again whenever the mood strikes, they don't really pay attention to anything else and they can't seem to get their clothes off fast enough. Anakin lets out a slow sigh as he closes his eyes. He doubts he will get much sleep, but as long as he gets some, he should be fine.

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Padme finishes the chart for her morning tumor surgery as Dorme returns from one of the patients who finds fault with every little thing in the room. "I thought you'd be at lunch with loverboy by now." Dorme said as she leaned back in a chair.

"No, he's having a guy weekend with Rex." She said, "He just got back from his tour and Anakin is treating him by taking him out drinking and maybe a stripclub or two."

Dorme raised a brow, "And you're okay with that?"

She nodded, "I wasn't at first, but he did promise to make it up to me when he got back."

The devilish smirk on her face made it clear what Dorme was thinking, "Really?"

Padme let out a sigh, "Yes. And for us that is probably a nice romantic dinner followed by binging old TV shows."

"And sex." Dorme added, "No need to be shy, we all know what happens when you two are in an on call room alone."

Padme returned her gaze to the chart, not seeing a point in arguing with Dorme. "By the way, Thank you for the birthday gift." She said, "It… was very nice."

Dorme gave a mock bow, "I wanted to get something both you _and_ Anakin could enjoy, I'm glad it all worked out."

She shook her head and asked herself yet again why she let Dorme in on her sex life in the first place.

[][][][]

Just as he expected, Anakin got very little sleep last night. He spent most of it waking up every few hours before struggling to fall asleep again. But that combined with the fact it was nine when he got up, meant he got at least five hours of sleep, which was at least something. Anakin took an extra hour in the bathroom when he got ready in the morning. Taking a slightly longer shower and shaving as close as he could without cutting himself as well as checking his suit again and smoothing it out before he finally put it on. He took extra care as he fixed his hair before he reasoned he looked as decent as he could look. Taking a deep breath, he grabs the bottle of wine and rides for Padme's Parent's house. They didn't live too far from the motel but as he turned onto the street, he cursed himself, knowing he had already made a mistake by just showing up without any warning. But pulling into the driveway, he couldn't turn back now. With a deep breath, he smooths over his hair again and makes his way up the porch and knocks. He fiddles with his hands, unsure if hands in the pocket is too lax, or if he his jacket should be buttoned or not. Shifting his feet awkwardly, he curses under his breath for being this nervous. He's a surgeon. He cuts into people's hearts and one false move could kill them. This shouldn't be so hard. Asking the parents of the woman he loves for their blessing to marry should not be this terrifying. And yet it is. It is the most terrifying thing he's done and this has to go perfectly.

He heard Padme's mother on the other side of the door telling him to wait a moment and he soon saw her silhouette through the stained glass of the door. As the door opens, Jobal smiles at him a moment before realizing who he is. "Anakin?" She asks, startled by his arrival, "What are you doing here?" She asked.

Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, "Hello, I, uh… I was hoping to talk to you and your husband, actually." He said, "I-I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to but-"

Jobal held her hand up to stop him, "No, no, its… Fine." She said, it was obvious she was only saying it out of curtesy but he smiled and handed her the bottle of wine he brought.

"Uh, Padme's mentioned several times you two are a couple of wine connoisseurs. This is one of the best Alderaani wines I've had." In truth, Padme had described them as 'wine snobs' but he would never say that to her parents.

Jobal accepted the wine and ushered him inside. Their house was large and lavish with paintings and pictures of memories hanging from the walls. Padme's father, Ruwee was seated in the living room. When he looked up to see who their guest was his eyes narrowed .

"Anakin." He said, his tone bitter as if the name left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Mr. Naberrie, sir." He greeted, "I apologize for coming unannounced."

"What do you want, boy?" He asked.

Anakin took a seat across from Ruwee and biting back on how being called 'boy' bugged him. "I love your daughter." He said, straight and to the point and felt his confidence boost knowing he means it with every fiber of his being, "I love Padme. And she means… more than anything to me. I love her. And I want to spend the rest of my life with her. I…I'm here because I would like your blessing for us to marry."

Ruwee sat back in his seat, crossing his legs as he took in his words. "You didn't come for my permission last time," He scoffed.

Anakin nodded his head, "I'm aware of that, sir." He said, "I'm also aware that you still see me as the boy who broke her heart." Anakin wiped his hands on his pant legs, "I'm not that boy anymore." He said, "I'm not as aggressive, or impulsive anymore; I've worked hard to be a better man- the kind of man your daughter deserves. I'm not perfect, but if she'll have me, I'll do everything in my power to make her happy." His eyes darted between Ruwee and Jobal opposite him. He saw how Jobal seemed to let her guard down and how she watched her husband. If anything, Anakin hoped he at least had her mother, but her father was certainly the harder of the two.

Ruwee shook his head, "No." He said, "You do not have my permission."

Anakin leaned forward, "All due respect, sir; but why? What can I do?"

"Nothing." He said, "My mind is made up."

"Ruwee." Jobal placed her hand on her husband's thigh, "Can't you see how much he cares for Padme?" She asked, "This young man came all the way here to ask us. I doubt Padme even knows he's here." She turned her head to him and Anakin shook his head.

"She doesn't know. She thinks I'm spending the weekend with a friend."

Jobal turned back to her husband, "Lets at least consider it." She offered before turning back to Anakin, "Why don't you stay for lunch? That way we can have some time to get to know you better since the last few times we've seen you things hadn't exactly been… ideal."

He nodded his head, "Of course, I'd love to." She smiled and left, going for the kitchen to probably start on lunch.

With Ruwee eyeing him, and not knowing what else to say to the man, he figured it was best to stay quiet rather than risk saying something and ruining everything. He had no idea where to look and rather than stare blankly ahead, he made it look as though he was admiring the pictures on the walls. In truth he couldn't tell much from the distance, but it at least felt less awkward.

After several minutes, Ruwee stood and left him in the living room alone. Anakin heaved a sigh and allowed himself to relax a little. He could hear the two of them talking in the kitchen and he knew they were arguing over his proposal. He couldn't help but try to listen for something that would indicate which way the conversation was going, but at the same time he was almost afraid to hear it as well. What would he do if they said no? He would still propose, but at the same time it could also drive a rift between Padme and her parents. He could also wait, but they'd been together for two years- three if he counted the year they were married- and he knew this time they were ready. They weren't just jumping into something, they live together, they work together; they have everything down from which side of the bed they sleep on to how to handle arguments. They were practically married in every sense but in name. And all he wanted was to make it so.

Standing up, Anakin walked over to the pictures on the wall to actually see what they were of. He recognized some of them from the pictures Padme had back in the apartment. There was one of her and Sola at the Lake House, school photos, pictures from family vacations; on the end he saw two nearly identical pictures of Ruwee and Jobal in hospital rooms. The first one he saw, Ruwee had his arm wrapped around Jobal's shoulders as she held a baby girl in her arms that Anakin knew had to be Sola. In the picture next to it, Ruwee held a baby Padme as he sat on the side of the hospital bed with Jobal and a young Sola. Ruwee's eyes were focused only on Padme as he smiled at her.

"That's my favorite picture." Anakin nearly jumped when he heard Ruwee speak. He had not heard his approach. Ruwee took the last few steps to stand beside him, "I made a promise when both my girls were born." He said, "I promised that I would do anything for them. That their happiness means more to me than anything." Both men looked at the picture, neither turning to see the other's reaction, "Padme is my baby girl." He continued, "Whenever I look at her, I still see this little six pound, four ounces baby who used to sleep on my chest while I watched football." He said, "I still see the five year old girl who brought home a bird with a broken wing and asked me to help make it better." He turned his head to look at Anakin, and their eyes met, "She's my daughter. I don't want her to get hurt again."

Anakin nodded his head, "I don't want to hurt her again either." He said, "Sir, I understand your reservations-"

"Do you?" He asked, "Your not a father. You can't understand until you hold your child in your arms and know that that child is yours. That you helped bring this beautiful life into the world. And that it is now your job to protect it. You can't understand."

He nodded his head again, "You want whats best for Padme." He said, "That much I can understand. I want the same. I want her to be happy, to be loved, to have everything she wants; and if I can do it, I'll do it. I'd do anything for her. She just has to tell me what."

Ruwee turns to face Anakin fully, sizing him up and looking for any falter in his words before he nods his head, "Jobal gives you her blessing." He said, "And I'm still not too sure about you, but… Padme is not the type of person to do things without a reason and she certainly wouldn't stay with someone unless she truly cares for them. And so, you have mine as well." Ruwee held his hand out to Anakin, and the two shook hands, Ruwee squeezing his a little too tightly, "But mark my words, if you hurt her, I'll castrate you."

Anakin smiled, "Believe me sir, that is the last thing I want."


	3. Chapter 3

I finally got around to posting this chapter! It has been sitting around on my drive for awhile now and it took a bit of work to not jump straight to the next big event. I am trying to work my way through it at a good pace, I already have most of the story outlined and there are... maybe 4 big events to keep your eyes out for down the road. At this point I see this being super long by my standards so there is also that to look forward to. Hopefully the next update won't take this long.

Happy reading!

-DFD

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Chapter 3

The past two days had been a mix of a surgeon's heaven and a normal person's Hell. After seven surgeries within forty-two hours, she was exhausted. The moment she walked through her door that night, the first thing she did was fall face first onto the bed. Burying her face in Anakin's pillow, she fell into such a deep sleep she hadn't heard the door open. Feeling fingers on her neck lightly move her hair to the side, she had initially thought it was a pleasant dream but feeling the warm breath on her neck followed by the suckling of the flesh of her neck, she started to stir. Shifting to lie on her back, her hand followed the sheets until she found an arm and started the climb up until it rested on a broad shoulder, "Ani?" She asked, her voice quiet and disoriented from sleep.

"Yeah." He said, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips, "Glad to see me?" He asked, climbing over her to sit on the bed beside her. Padme groaned as he shifted the bed before turning back over to face him. Her eyes were fighting to wake up, but it was turning into a pointless fight. Anakin shifted them under the covers, pulling her close to him as he settled down next to her. "I missed you." He murmured against her hair.

Padme gripped the shirt he was still wearing, snuggling her head into his chest, "Sleep now, talk later." She said and Anakin was more than happy to give in to sleep.

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"The tumor was as big as my fist." Padme said as they walked into the hospital, "It was unbelievable and the weird thing is it didn't result in any real personality shifts."

"Really?" Anakin asked. For a tumor that size not to have any effect on a person's personality was a rare case, "Must have been in the right place to grow."

Padme nodded, "It was. If she hadn't come in when she did, it would have spread to the frontal lobe and resulted in permanent damage." She said, taking a sip of her latte, "Did you have a good time with Rex?"

Anakin smiled as he remembered the result of his trip. He easily could just explain the whole thing to her now and propose. But he wanted it to be special- perfect. Admittedly, he was a romantic at heart and as far as he's concerned, Padme deserves every ounce of romance he can pull. "It was great." He said, "We went out, had a couple drinks, then he wanted to catch up on Game of Thrones. What?" He asked when he noticed her choking back a laugh.

"Nothing." She said, recovering nicely.

Anakin scoffed, "Nice try, I know when you think something is funny so just tell me, what is it?"

She shook her head, "You won't like it."

"Try me."

Walking into the attendings lounge they started to change into their scrubs, "The way you said all that made him sound like your boyfriend." She said before laughing.

For a moment he is startled, but as he thinks about it, it does sound like it. With a smile he decides to play along, "In that case I feel sorry for you." He said, coming to stand next to her, "I mean, you've slept with me and I've just been waiting for-"

"Oh shut up." Padme pushes on his chest playfully, "Or you'll be sleeping on the couch tonight."

Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her until she was flush against him, "If I sleep on the couch I can't show you just how much I missed you."

"You were gone for two days."

"And I thought about you every second." Leaning closer, he went in to kiss her.

"Please don't." The two of them pulled back just enough to see Ben enter and make his way over to the coffee machine.

"Ben!" Anakin greeted, "Are my patients still alive?"

"Don't you trust me?" He asked, turning to face them as he stirred his coffee.

Anakin gave a shrug as Padme pulled back from the embrace but left his arm wrapped around her. "I trust you and Ahsoka. Its the interns that have me worried."

The other two attendings nodded, "Yeah, they aren't as good as previous years." Padme agreed, "They're capable but they're-"

"Entitled, pretentious, and competitive to a fault." Ben added.

"Exactly." She said, glancing at her watch, "I have that nerve graft this morning." Leaning up she kisses Anakin's cheek, "I'll see you at lunch."

Ben waits until the door closes behind her before addressing Anakin again, "So how'd it go?"

"About what I expected." He said, "But I got it."

Ben smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Good, I'm glad. So when are you going to ask?"

He gave a shrug, "I don't know yet. I'm still planning how to do it."

"Why not just ask?" Ben suggested, "I know you're eager to get an answer, and I'm certain she is just waiting for you to ask anyway."

Anakin let out a sigh, "I know… I just… I want it to be perfect."

Ben shook his head, "Anakin, Padme loves you. So long as you're the one asking, that is perfect enough for her."

His eyes found the floor as he thought about his words. Ben was right. Padme isn't shallow enough to care how he proposes- she would say yes even if he asked while she was in the middle of surgery. He doesn't have to do anything crazy like those massive flashmob proposals. Anakin smiled, "I'll do it this weekend." He declared, "I'm trying my hand at lobster again and this time I know it will be good."

Ben raised his mug of coffee in a salute, "I wish you luck then, old friend." He said, giving him one last pat on the back before going to work.

[][][][]

The OR was quieter than it normally is when Ahsoka works with him. Normally they spend the entire time talking until something happens that requires all of their focus. "Something wrong?" He asked, his eyes watching her as she used suction to clear the cavity.

"What makes you think something is wrong?" She asked.

Anakin gave a shrug as he took the pickups from the scrub nurse to apply sutures. "You're quiet. Either something is wrong or there is something on your mind. Is it Lux?"

Her eyes narrowed at him, "How many times do I have to say I'm not interested in Lux?"

"Until you realize you're in denial." Ahsoka sighed and shook her head. "So what is it then?" He asked, attempting to express his concern as best he could.

"My residency is almost over." She said, "And I got an offer." Anakin paused for a moment and looked up to meet her gaze. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't proud- he taught her everything she knows and she is no doubt a great surgeon. But now was the time where she had to decide where she was going- if she was staying to complete her fellowship here, or to go elsewhere to do it.

"That's… that's great." He said, "Where is it?"

"Mandalore." She said.

He could see she was nervous about his reaction, "It's a great program. They'd be lucky to have you." He said. Looking back down at the patient he finished applying the last suture, "You wanna close?" Ahsoka nodded and loosened the rib spreader before beginning to close. Mandalore did have a great program and in the long run having that hospital under her belt would easily open doors for bigger and better things in the field down the road. But at the same time that would mean he probably won't see her again. Anakin held his tongue from guilting her into staying. It wouldn't be fair of him to convince her to stay when this was clearly a big decision to make. Anakin remembered the last year of Padme's residency well- it had been the same year they had broken up- and he remembered how stressful it had been for her with all the neuro offers she had gotten. Instead, Anakin decides the best thing he can do for Ahsoka is to let her make her own choice.

[][][][]

Padme stretches her arms over her head as she leaves the OR. Her patient's spine is now stabilized and now the only thing she can do is wait and see if there is any paralysis. Walking out into the waiting room, she immediately recognizes her patient's parents and walks over to them. The small group of people stand when they see her. Padme smiles at them and slowly goes over what she had spent the past three hours doing. "After we stabilized the spine I went in to make the necessary repairs to the spinal cord. Overall, he did great, now we just have to wait until he wakes up to see if there is any paralysis." She explained.

"And if there is?" The father asked.

"Its hard to say." She said, "What we do next depends on him and what his body can take. I can take you to see him if you'd like." The parents nod eagerly and she smiles at them before leading them up to the post-op room where their son is resting. Standing in the doorway, she waited a few minutes to see if they had any more questions. She watched as the mother took his hand and stroked his cheek with maternal affection. Padme smiled at the scene before turning and to give them some privacy.

"Hey!" She turns her head to see Dorme walking quickly to catch up with her, her hands full of boxes of latex gloves to restock the rooms with. "You seem to be in a good mood."

Padme gave a shrug, "I had a good surgery." She said, "I have every confidence he is going to walk again."

Her friend nodded, pushing the boxes away to lean closer to her. "I have a theory." She started, "About Anakin."

Padme rolled her eyes and let out a heavy sigh, "Dorme, really? Why are you obsessing over my love life? Didn't that doctor on the third floor ask you out?"

Dorme gave a shrug, "Yeah, but he's a urologist. And do I really want to date a guy working with penises all day?" She shook her head, "Some people might be okay with it but I'm not."

"You change bedpans everyday." Padme argued, "Your job isn't much better some days."

"True," She agreed, "But honestly, my love life can wait. Yours is way more important. You are so close to having one of those 'ride off into the sunset' moments but something is definately wrong and I am determined to fix it." Padme had to bite back a retort knowing very well that there was nothing to stop Dorme once she got an idea in her head. Instead she prepared herself to hear whatever her theory is. "So, my theory…" She paused a moment and scanned the hall a moment before she continued, "He had an affair."

The moment the words left Dorme's mouth her face dropped. Is that seriously what she is thinking? "And you came to this conclusion because…?"

Dorme lowered her voice to a whisper, "Anakin is a very romantic guy, right?" Padme nodded in agreement, "And over the past few weeks he's gotten… more romantic." Again, she nodded, "And then he left for two days and came back; I think he had an affair and all the romance is his way of trying to smooth things over and the two days was his last hurrah before he dumped his secret lover-"

Padme held her hand up, "Stop." She said, her brow furrowed, "I don't want to hear this."

"You have to."

She shook her head, "No, I don't. Because your… so called theory is just you reading into things too much." She said, "Anakin would never cheat. You remember what happened when he thought I was cheating, right? He almost killed Clovis. He could never cheat."

Dorme let out a sigh, "Okay, maybe my theory is a little unlikely. But you have to admit he's been acting… strange. Something is definitely up."

"You really need to go on a date with that urologist." She said, "That way I can show you just how ridiculous your theories are."

Dorme paused a moment and looked to the side pensively, "Huh, you might have a point." She said, "But not the urologist."

Padme smiled and shook her head. Dorme was way too picky about the men she dated sometimes.

[][][][]

With her laptop hooked up to the TV and the intro to Arrow starting, Padme made her way over to the couch where Anakin saw with his head reclined and his arms stretched out along the back. He hated the show but he did promise to watch it with her when he got back from his trip. Padme curled into his side, resting her head on his chest and giving his thigh an affectionate squeeze to encourage him to behave. His arm wrapped around her, as he took a slow breath as if it would take all his will power to not say anything about how he thinks the show is the same every season. She can't say he doesn't have a point, most of the time she is able to predict what is going to happen with near perfect accuracy, but she still finds it entertaining nevertheless.

Anakin doesn't watch the episode for very long. Instead finding tracing lazy patterns on her arm more interesting. She doesn't mind. In fact, she thinks it feels wonderful. She feels the love he has for her in the gentle touch and it makes her heart soar. Her thoughts inadvertently shift back to what Dorme had said earlier that day. While most of what she had said was wrong, she had been right about one thing. Anakin had been acting strange for several weeks now. While she was used to Anakin's overt affection and his tendency for small romantic gestures, it has gotten deeper. The way he looks at her these days often looks as though she is the first breath of air after drowning- as if she is his lifeline and his life is meaningless without her. And she can't help but wonder why. Padme takes a chance and glances up at him. His eyes meet hers and he smiles at her before bringing his hand to hers and twining their fingers together.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked, bringing her free hand up to trace his brow.

Anakin gave a shrug, "Just wondering when this show is over." He said, rubbing his thumb over her knuckle.

"You're thinking about more than that."

She felt the rumble of his chest as he chuckled, "You really think so?"

"I know so. What is it?" Padme shifted to sit up enough so she could see his eyes better. She could tell he was hiding something.

His eyes flickered with something she couldn't place for a moment before rakish smirk, "You really want to know?" His hand came to rest on her hip as he leaned closer to her, "I was thinking about a couple things that are more… entertaining than a guy in tights." His lips brushed against her gently before he skimmed them along her jaw then down her neck.

"You're trying to distract me." She said and she could feel him smirk against her skin.

"Is it working?"

Padme wanted to push back and get him to tell her what is wrong, but as his hand gripped the underside of her thigh and shifted her to lie back on the couch, she couldn't. Whatever was wrong, it could wait. Besides, it was probably about the offer Ahsoka had gotten from Mandalore. While she was working on a neuro consult in the ER, Lux had told her about the offer and she knew that letting Ahsoka go would be hard for him.

His hands started to skim under her shirt and she sighed into the touch, letting all other thoughts fade from her mind. Giving into him, she let him distract her with sex for just this one time.


	4. Chapter 4

Surprised myself twice with this chapter. Didn't expect what happens to happen in this chapter, and I didn't think I was this close to finishing this chapter. So yay! Two updates in less than two days! It's a new record!

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 4

She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep but when the alarm went off the next morning, she wished it were their day off, but it wasn't. Hitting the snooze, she rolled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom for a shower leaving Anakin to slumber for another fifteen minutes. When they had first moved in with one another it had taken a few weeks to get into a routine that worked for them both without complicating things in the small bathroom. They had tried showering together in the morning, but that hadn't worked out very well and had resulted in being late more than a few times. And sharing a sink wasn't a particularly easy task especially on mornings when he needed to shave. But after a while, they figured out what worked and it is almost as if they had always lived together.

By the time she stepped out of the shower the alarm started to go off again before it was silenced. Wrapping a towel around her body she walked over to the mirror and started to brush through her hair. Anakin entered the bathroom at that point. Bending over he kissed her cheek lightly but she scrunched her face and pulled away at the feel of prickly stubble against her cheek, "You need to shave." She said, watching the amused smile on his face as he moved in to kiss her again before stepping into the shower. Padme spared a single glance at his naked body watching as the water cascaded over his magnificently perfect form and was beyond grateful that she could say he was hers. To her, as well as many others, he is physically very appealing with sharp blue eyes, and roguish good looks; and while that is certainly a bonus, there is so much more to him that only she has the right to see. He had bared his soul to her- told her things he hadn't even told Ben about. Told her about his childhood and the days when he would only have one meal. He even told her things about his father. And while that part of his life was still mostly unknown, the fact that he had wanted to tell her meant so much to her.

Padme retreated into the bedroom to get dressed while Anakin took the time to shave. He stood in front of the mirror with a grey towel wrapped low around his hips and white shaving cream on his face and neck. He watched her in the mirror as she dressed and she cracked a small smile as she buttoned her shirt before going out into the living area to pick up the clothes they had left the previous night. There had been a time when finding their clothes on the other end of the room surprised her, now it happened so often she rarely started cleaning up where it started. Her shirt had ended up next to the table next to the front door while his pants rested against the wall next to the bedroom. Draping the clothes over one arm, she brought them back into the bedroom and placed them in the near full laundry hamper. One of them would have to do the laundry tonight. Padme groaned hoping it wasn't her turn.

"What's with the face?" She turned her head back to the bathroom. Anakin stood in the doorframe wiping his face with a hand towel.

She shook her head, "It's nothing." She said, "Speaking of nothing, what were you really thinking about last night?" She flashed him a confident smile, knowing that now he couldn't escape.

Anakin gave a shrug and walked over to the dresser, pulling out clothes and throwing them on the bed before unwrapping the towel around his hips. "I think you already know the answer to that."

"Oh no you don't." She started, leaning her back against the dresser, "Tell me." His eyes met hers and she could clearly see the fight in them as he debated what to say. "Is it about Ahsoka?" Padme watched his eyes go wide for a moment before he turned his head away and pulled on his boxers and jeans. "You never think they're going to leave until they do." She said, "But you taught her well. Wherever she goes, you know she is going to be great."

Anakin nodded his head, "I know, I just…" He shook his head, "I was looking forward to having a cardio fellow."

"Don't we all?" She asked, smiling ever so slightly, "It gives us more time to do the more exciting cases." Anakin nodded in agreement before turning to face her. She lifted her hand to smooth out the collar of his shirt, "You have a patient in need of a transplant status 1B. They have the organ ready to go, but an incoming trauma with a 1A status comes in. Who gets it?"

His brow furrowed as he looked down at her, "The one with the 1A status."

She nodded her head, "So, your transplant surgery now belongs to someone else. You and your patient are rightfully upset, but knowing that the other patient would die in a matter of hours without it, can you really say it was wrong?" He shook his head and she smiled. "Ahsoka is that stolen organ. You wanted that surgery, but it had to go to where it was needed most." Padme brought her hand up to cup his cheek, "Whatever happens, she will go where she needs to be."

He wrapped his arms around her waist, "I love it when you speak medical." He said, lowering his head to kiss her softly.

She smiled into the kiss before pulling back. "We have to go." She said, turning and making her way out to the living area, "Got everything?" She called back.

"Just a second." He said as he picked up whatever it was he needed and joined her at the door. "Ready." He flashed her a smile and held the door open for her as they made their way to work.

[][][][]

"I don't know how much longer I can do this," Anakin said as he leaned against the wall by the coffee cart. Ben smiled as he handed the cashier the money and took his coffee. "You know she almost found it this morning? And she is definitely noticing I'm acting weird."

"Then stop acting weird." Ben suggested, "Or better yet, just get it over with. You live with her, does it really have to be this grand romantic thing?"

Anakin blinked at him in shock. "Yes." He said immediately, "It has to be perfect. You know how I proposed the first time?"

Ben took a sip of his coffee, "No, but from the way you're saying it, I don't think I want to."

"I asked her right after we had sex."

He scrunched his face and groaned, "I said I didn't want to know. But as a side note, really?"

Anakin shrugged, "I was nineteen. I wasn't really thinking. But now I am and I want to do it right."

"You want to do it right? Try just keeping your pants on. And stop telling me things I don't want to know." Ben said with a groan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, Satine needs a cardio consult."

Anakin smirked, knowing that wasn't the only reason Satine asked him. When would Ben realize the two of them would make a good couple? Reaching into his pocket, he felt the soft velvet of the ring box. It was a good thing Padme hadn't gone through the pockets of his jeans when she gathered their laundry. But it was also a clear sign that it needed to happen sooner rather than later. She was starting to notice his behavior. It was getting harder to hide his nerves the longer he waited. Two more days. Two more days and they are both off from work. Two more days and he will change both of their lives for the better. He can't help the smile on his face as he thinks about it. Falling to his knee before her, ring in hand, the smile he hopes will grace her beautiful face; he hopes he can get the words out without stumbling over them like an incompetent fool, but if he can't he knows she loves when he is at a loss for words. He is pulled from his thoughts when his pager started to go off. Glancing down at it, he smiles. What are the odds Padme would page him when he was thinking about her? Pulling his hand from his pocket he walks quickly for the radiology wing.

"I need you to stay perfectly still for just a few moments," Padme said though the microphone to the patient in the machine.

Anakin leaned against the doorframe as he watched her activate the MRI machine in the other room that was separated by the glass. "I was just thinking about you." He said as she leaned back in her seat.

Her head snapped to him and she smiled, "I'm glad you're here." She said, beckoning him closer with a wave of her hand. He took the vacant seat next to her as she pulled up the patient chart on the tablet. "Two vehicle MVC, she was in the passenger seat of the second car. Laceration across her forehead and bruising on her chest. I'm worried about a cranial bleed but she also has some discoloration on her chest, I suspect there's also some thoracic bleeding as well. I would have paged you to examine her sooner, but she had a stroke."

He nodded his head once, understanding how delicate timing can be in these situations. "Getting scans?"

"Or course." She said turning back to the monitor that was just starting to pull up the first set of scans. The outline of the patient's head slowly cleared up enough for Padme to get a good look at what was happening. "There." She said, pointing to the lighter blob of white near the temporal lobe.

"Pretty big bleed." He said.

"I'll probably need to relieve the pressure on the brain to allow it to drain." She said, "But once I'm in it might turn into a craniotomy if it is worse that it looks."

Anakin nodded his head, "Let's take a look at the other scans." He said, giving her a moment to order the second set of scans. When the scans were ready, it was apparent there was cardiac damage. The area surrounding the heart was painted white from the abundance of fluid leaking into the chest. "Looks like we have two problems." He said.

"Two surgeries like this is a lot for one person to take." She said.

Anakin nodded in agreement, "If she bleeds out too much into her chest, she'll lose the ability to breathe and her heart won't be able to get enough blood to the rest of the body."

"But any amount of damage to the brain risks brain damage." It was a tough call. Without cutting into the patient, it was not easy to tell the full extent of the repair needed. "You go first." Padme suggested, "You drain and repair the bleed in the chest cavity and I'll monitor and try fluids to drain the temporal hemorrhage until you finish. Then once you're done I can go in and make the repairs."

"And if it gets worse?" He asked, "If I have her open I won't be able to stop until I'm finished.

She gave a shrug, "I'll do my best to avoid that, but it all depends on when it happens."

It isn't often these types of cases in serious need of neuro and cardio surgery happened at the same time. There were serious risks no matter how they handled them, but they had little choice in the matter. "Alright." He said, "I'll book an OR."

"I'll prep the patient."

[][][][]

The bar was crowded as it normally was after most of the surgeons got off. Glancing over his shoulder he looked at Padme sitting across from Satine deeply engaged in conversation. Anakin shook his head, "You really need to loosen up," He said, turning back to Ben who was seated next to him. "I mean, is moving in really that big of a deal? It took you long enough to actually ask her out, is that how it's going to be with you? The waiting increases the bigger the step?" He shook his head, "No girl would be willing to wait that long."

Ben didn't look at him. Instead, his gaze focused on his beer in front of him. "She still doesn't know." He said. "About Siri."

Anakin leaned closer to him, his arms resting on the counter, "You need to tell her," He said. "If she knows, she might be able to help-"

"I don't need help," He argued, "I'm fine. I just… I want to take things slow this time around. That's all."

Anakin scoffed, "If you keep going this slow you'll both be old and grey by the time anything interesting happens." He sighed and glanced back at the girls, Padme caught his eye and she smiled at him. He returned her smile and wished he could tell her what Ben's problem was, but the thing with Siri was not something he had the right to tell her. Siri had been a close friend of theirs when they had been in the army before being discharged. Her death had rattled them both, but none more than Ben who had been much closer to her. They had been lovers. And that loss had weighed heavy on him ever since they lost contact with her helicopter.

"I know what you're thinking," Ben said, waiting for him to turn to look at him before continuing. "You want to tell Padme. And I understand why you would want to, but please-"

"Relax." He said, "I wasn't planning to. I want to, I hate hiding things from her, but… this is your thing. And she understands that." Anakin gave a shrug, "Besides, you didn't tell her about my mom when I asked you not to. I'm not about to betray your trust now."

The tension in Ben's shoulders faded as he let out a relieved sigh, "Thank you."

"But you really should tell her the truth," He added. "She cares about you. If she knew why you're being… aloof, then maybe she'll be more willing to give you the time you need."

"Or perhaps she'll treat me like a charity case," He countered with narrowed eyes, "You forget, she's a pediatric surgeon they're not exactly known for indifference."

Anakin groaned, resisting the urge to bang his head against the counter, "Oh, come on Ben; you're worse than me before I got back with Padme. Just… grow a pair and tell her." Lifting his glass to his lips he took a long swallow of his beer, hoping the alcohol would help relieve the tension he was feeling from Ben's stubbornness.

"Oh, God, she's coming over." He heard Ben groan. The older man slumped in his seat as Anakin smirked.

Satine came to stand on Anakin's other side, "I hope I'm not intruding," She said, her voice clear and level. "I was hoping Ben and I could talk."

Anakin was quick to stand up and gestured for her to take his seat, "By all means," He said, a smile on his face. "I'm just going to go enjoy a drink with my girlfriend." He said, eager to finally have a moment with Padme. Ben gave him an almost pleading look, but he disregarded it as he walked over to the booth where she was sitting.

"Everything okay on your end?" She asked as he slid in across from her.

He shrugged, "Depends what you mean by okay," He said. "Ben's just being stubborn. Change really isn't his thing. Sometimes it feels like an episode of the Big Bang Theory."

Padme laughed and shook her head at the comparison. "Well, Satine is pretty torn up about it." She said, "When he gets like this it's hard for her to tell if he really likes her or if he's just with her because he's too nice to break up with her."

"Oh, he's really into her." Anakin assured, "He just… doesn't know how to show it properly."

She reached across the table and he instantly placed his hand over hers. "Is it me, or are we suddenly what everyone calls 'relationship goals'?" She asked.

He raised a brow, aware that the term is something kids seem to be fond of, "Is that something Satine said?" He asked, believing that to be the most likely source of the term.

She nodded, "She said that's why she always comes to me with these issues. Because you and I are like the power couple of the hospital." Padme shrugged, "Though I don't know why anyone wants a building falling on them just so they can get the guy."

Anakin couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth. It wasn't funny, but the way she said it was- a straight face and a casual shrug was not what he had expected. They had talked about that incident many times over the past two years and it wasn't very often they joked about it but whenever they did, it was always her to make the first crack. Anakin cleared his throat, "Well, if I'm being honest," He started, "You already had me by then. I was just being an idiot." They both spared a glance at their friends who, so far seemed to be in a very calm one-sided conversation noted by Ben's closed mouth and how Satine waved her hands every once in a while as she spoke. "I'm glad we got all our problems sorted out." He said.

Padme sighed as she watched them, "Not all of them." She said, turning her attention to him. "My parents still aren't too fond of you." She said once his eyes met hers again.

He resisted smiling and telling her the good news and instead gave a shrug, rubbing his thumb over her knuckles. "Give it time, angel," He said. "They just want what's best for you."

"You are what's best for me."

He smiled and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her ring finger, "I'm glad you think so," He said. His heart fought with his mind as he tried to determine if this was the moment. If this was the right time to ask her. He had the ring, she gave him the perfect lead in. All he had to do was fall to his knee and ask. His heart screamed Yes! But his mind kept reminding him of the private, romantic dinner he had been planning for the weekend. He had champagne, a nice roast duck recipe, a freshly pressed suit; it was all planned. And yet this moment felt… right. And before he knew it, he was doing it.

Sliding out of the booth, he shifted to her side before dropping to his knee before her. Her eyes were wide, surprised yet excited as he reached into his pocket. He was smiling from ear to ear as he pulled out the velvet case. Her hands came to cover her mouth. The world felt as though it were moving in slow motion as the world around them faded until it was just the two of them. Opening the box, he gave her a moment before he spoke. "Padme Naberrie," When he had planned his dinner he had also planned the words he would say, yet as he ran them over in his mind at this moment, they sounded wrong. Too complicated, too cheesy- he was cheesy, but he realized he wanted to be genuine. He wanted this moment to be real- to express what he felt, what he wanted. And cheesy wouldn't cut it. "I love you," He said simply, "You are smart and wise, you have compassion and you were able to forgive me for my faults, and even love me for them. You push me to be a better doctor, a better man; and I love you. I want to spend the rest of my days with you." Anakin swallowed the lump in his throat, only now just realizing how nervous he is, "Will you marry me?"

The moment he finishes, Padme lunged for him, her hands cupping his cheeks as her lips crashed against his. The shock overwhelmed him for a moment, unable to respond at first but as their lips separated, he heard her voice. "Yes." She whispered, "Yes." She said again before their lips met once again. The words released the tension in his shoulders as he relaxed into her hold and his arms wrapped around her waist. He isn't sure how long they stayed like that, nor was he even aware of the applause around them. She was all that mattered. Pulling back, he took the ring from the case, and gently took her left hand, sliding the ring onto her finger. He took a moment to admire the ring as it finally took its place on her hand. It was perfect.


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter took me a long time to complete. I didn't want to rush things too much because I have every big even in this story already planned out so I felt now was the best time to have a slow chapter. On the plus side, things get a little... heated. And hope to have the next big event in the story within the next three chapters or so. I imagine the next chapter won't take nearly as long (real life pending).

Wish me luck!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 5

Padme let out a loud pleasured moan as her climax hit for the third time that night. Anakin's fingers were pressed firmly against her hips as he continued to thrust up into her. Leaning forward, she pressed her hands to his chest, doing her best to bring him over the edge as well. His shaft pulsed almost desperately inside her, a sure sign he was close. Clenching her core around his shaft was all it took to make him groan as his seed flowed freely inside her. Padme sighed as she fell, her chest colliding with his as his arms came to wrap tightly around her waist, his hands sliding up her back. Anakin panted against her ear, whispering sweet nothings as he kissed her neck. She smiled and pushed back just enough to catch his mouth with hers in a sweet languid kiss.

She couldn't believe it. Glancing down between them at her left hand where her engagement ring was now proudly displayed, she was in a state of awe. She knew it was coming someday, but she hadn't expected it to happen now. She had thought he would wait another year or so, but she was glad he hadn't waited. Ever since last year, she had known she wanted to marry him again. Known without a shadow of a doubt that he was the one for her. Having him in her life makes her happier than she ever knew possible and she knew that whatever was ahead for her, she would want no other person by her side to face it with.

Anakin carefully lifted her hips, letting out a low groan as his soft cock was freed from her body's warm embrace. Sighing, she shifted so she wasn't laying directly on top of him. Shuffling to the side, she turned to lay on her side facing him, their legs still tangled and his arms still around her as he did the same. Her hands cupped his cheeks as he leaned in to kiss her again. She surrendered to him, letting him pull her as close as physically possible. "I love you," He mumbled against her lips, "So much."

Padme smiled and pushed on his chest lightly, "I love you too," She said, her finger tracing light invisible patterns on his pectoral. She was excited at the prospect of getting married. This time she was certain they would do it the right way. A nice wedding, with a reception and their friends and family in attendance. Her smile faded ever so slightly at the thought of her family. What would they think knowing she was marrying the same man who had broken her heart years ago? Sola would be fine with it, ever since they started dating her sister had taken the time to get to know him better and had even grown to like him. Her parents, on the other hand, still had bitter feelings about him and no matter how hard he tried to get them to like him, it didn't seem to have any effect.

She felt his hand rub circles on her back, "What is it?" He asked, noticing her downcast eyes.

"It's nothing…" She started, "I just… I wish my parents liked you better. That's all." She wasn't necessarily seeking their approval but the thought of her parents hating the man she loves was not ideal. She wants them to like him, she wants them to see the man he is now instead of judging him by the man he was. Padme raised her eyes to look at him. He had a small smile on his face that told her he knew something she didn't. "What?" She asked and was gifted a chaste kiss before he answered.

"When I decided to ask you to marry me, I wanted to do it right." He started, "That weekend when I went to see Rex… I didn't go see him. In fact, he's still not back yet." Her brow furrowed as he explained, growing slightly worried where he was going with this. "I went to your parent's place instead."

Padme's eyes widened, "You did what?"

"I went to your parent's to ask them for their blessing." He explained. Of all the things she expected Anakin would do, that was not one of them. Every time a meeting with her parents had gone awry, he had a tendency to shrug it off and tell her that their opinion of him didn't matter in the grand scheme of things. And that all that mattered was what she thought of him. But knowing that he had gone through the trouble to ask her parents only made her love him more.

"What did they say?" She asked, already having a feeling how that conversation had gone.

Anakin smiled at rested his forehead against hers, "What do you think?" Her smile returned, brighter than ever. They had said yes."Though your dad did threaten to castrate me if I screwed it up this time," He added with a shrug. Padme shook her head. Apparently it would still take some more time for them to fully accept him, but the fact that they had agreed was certainly a step in the right direction.

[][][][]

They should have known their colleagues would do something to celebrate their engagement. They should have known if there was one day to be late, it should have been this day. And yet like fools they walked into the hospital hand in hand as if it were any other day only to be ambushed in the attendings lounge by a banner that read "Congratulations!" along with cake, hugs and pats on the back from hospital staff they didn't even know very well.

Anakin thanked everyone he passed as they congratulated him and in the mass of people, he noticed Padme had thankfully been dragged off by Satine and Bail who kept most of the unnecessary congratulations off her. Anakin repressed an annoyed groan as one of the plastics attendings pestered him about dates and details for the wedding they hadn't even planned yet. "I don't know yet," Anakin said, "We're working on it. Excuse me." He pushed past the man only to be bombarded by another doctor. Glancing over to where Padme was, he wished for anything to get him out of these meaningless conversations.

Anakin jumped as another doctor patted him on the back. "If you'll excuse us," The new doctor said, "Skywalker and I have much to talk about." Anakin turned and saw that this new doctor was in Doctor Onaconda Farr, Padme's superior and the head of neurosurgery at the hospital. Farr directed them away from the group of doctors and smiled at him. "It's about time you two decided to tie the knot," He started, "Have you put any thought into the wedding yet?"

Anakin shrugged, "We haven't talked about it yet, but I was thinking her family's lake house. It's where we were married before and there are a lot of pleasant memories there for both of us."

"She's told me about that house a few times. It's her favorite place in the world," Farr said with a smile. "Safe to assume I'm invited?"

"You're like family to her, I'm sure of it."

Farr nodded his head and glanced down at the tablet in his hands, "I got a real treat for her this morning, guess it's my engagement gift to her," He said, holding up the tablet, "Malignant glioma."

"Her favorite," Anakin said with a light laugh. "I'm sure she'll like them more than all of this," He gestured to the rest of the room pointing out the mass of people and the banner in particular.

"Wasn't my idea," He said, holding his hands up, "I think it was one of the nurses actually."

Anakin sighed, "I wonder which one," He said sarcastically, already certain Dorme had some role to play in this mess.

[][][][]

In the scan room, Padme had all the latest scans of the malignant glioma side by side with yesterday's scans. The tumor had not changed much, but it was clearly growing even over the short span of time between the scans. Removing it would clearly be an invasive surgery, but it was not quite at the point where it would be too risky. On the tablet with the patient's chart, Padme was typing small notes about the surgery and how she would approach it. She was glad Farr had given the surgery to her. It was certainly better than all the other things the staff had given her throughout the day. Most had opted for gift cards or flowers and while she accepted them simply to be polite, neither were particularly useful since most of the places they got cards for were either too far away or they didn't shop at.

She lifted her head and looked to the open door when she heard a knock on it. She smiled when she saw Anakin in the doorway, "Hey," She greeted.

"Hey," He returned as he walked over to the screens displaying the scans on the wall. "This that tumor Farr gave you?"

Padme smiled and walked over to stand beside him, "Yes."

"Looks like quite the challenge," He said, looking at each scan carefully.

She shrugged and folded her hands in front of her around the tablet, "Very true, but I think it can be done."

Anakin nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, "How's your day been?" He asked, clearly referring to the never-ending stream of congratulations.

"Probably the same as yours," She said. As much as she appreciated everyone being happy for her, she wasn't particularly interested in hearing it from every single person in the hospital. In her mind, getting engaged is something private. That despite where the proposal takes place, it is something meant only for the two lovers and subsequently close family and friends who matter enough that they are willing to tell. To hear well wishes from people outside that group, as nice as the gesture may seem, it was awkward to her.

Anakin laughed and shook his head, "Yeah, well, I don't have an interesting surgery like this to occupy my time today. I have three pacemakers and an angioplasty," He said with a sigh.

"If you were in neuro I'd offer to share," She said with a smile.

"Like that would ever happen," He scoffed, "Could you really see me working on brains every day?" He shook his head, "I'd rather do bowel resections for a year."

Padme gave a small shrug, "I could have Bail arrange that for you."

"Not necessary," He said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her temple, "Besides, I'd rather leave the brain stuff to you. You're brilliant," He said with a smile.

Turning her head, she returned his smile, "No more than you," She countered knowing full well just how brilliant her fiancé is.

"Please, if you focused more on research than operating, you'd have awards and some neuro technique named after you in no time."

Padme looked away and directed her attention back to the scans. He meant well by what he had said, and he was right that if she focused more on research she could probably find something that could potentially find something useful to the field. But she never expected to win awards or have her name on something. That was reserved for someone more interested in the recognition than the actual healing of people and she had no interest in that. "How long do you have before your next surgery?" She asked.

"About an hour, why?"

"Based on what I'm seeing, this is going to be a long surgery," She said, pointing to the two scans that showed where the tumor was in relation to the motor cortex, "Want to get an early lunch?"

[][][][]

His teeth sunk into her neck as his hands wrapped tightly around her body as his right hand gave a firm squeeze to her breast. Padme sighed, tilting her head to the side as her rear pushed back to meet his thrust. He wasn't sure how exactly they ended up in an on-call room instead of the cafeteria, but that didn't matter too much. Food was the last thing on his mind with her warm body pressed so firmly to his and the little sighs she gave sent waves of pleasure to his groin. Her hand reached back around his head, her fingers dug into his scalp as she tugged on his hair and pulled him back to her throat where he was more than happy to kiss and nip just like she liked.

Kneeling behind her, he slowly pulled his member free from her soaked folds. She let out a small whimper and her ass wiggled and shifted, trying to encourage him to put it back. Anakin smirked against her throat. His right hand stayed where it was on her breast, tweaking and pinching her erect nipple while his left dragged slowly down and came to rest on her belly. His hips shifted behind her just enough to slide his cock between her legs but not enter her. Instead, his member slowly glided along her wet folds, the lips suckling to him as he moved, coating him in her essence. Her hand gripped his wrist as his cock brushed against her clit, her hand flying to his wrist and squeezing it tightly.

" _Anakin…_ "

He groaned at the sound of his name on her lips. Eager to make her say it again, his left hand abandoned its perch and slid the short distance to the bundle of nerves between her legs. Brushing against her clit did the trick and made her cry out loudly as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

Padme sighed as she leaned back into him, shifting her weight just enough to silently tell him to lay down. He smirked into her neck, his arms holding her tightly against his body as he shifted their position on the couch. Resting his head against the arm of the couch, he watched as she sat up, her legs spread to straddle him. Anakin smirked at the sight of her above him. The way her hair fell down her spine, the curve of her backside and the sight of his cock just barely brushing her entrance was one of the most beautifully erotic things he had ever seen and it was driving him mad with desire. His cock twitched against her, eager to pick up where they had left off. Her hand reached down and took hold of him, brushing the head against her folds. His hips lifted involuntarily, and he was certain if he could see her face she would be smirking.

" _Oh, God_ ," Anakin groaned as she lowered herself onto him. She was so tight. The feel of her walls hugging him sent a shiver down his spine as he churned his hips against her. Padme shifted her position over him, leaning back she rested her hands on his chest moments before she started to move, rocking up and down onto him at a hard and fast pace.

His hands found perches on her hips, helping her to bring them both closer to release. " _Anakin…_ " She sighed as she moved, "You feel… You feel so, _so_ good." One of her hands reached down between her legs, her fingers tracing along her soaked folds until she reached the base of his cock. Anakin sucked in a breath at the gentle touch and nearly choked as her fingers wrapped around his sack. His eyes rolled back as he let out a shaky breath. Padme massaged his sack lightly as her walls constricted around him tighter than ever. They were so close. His fingers dug into her hips as he pulled her down harder onto him. Her arms and legs started to shake the closer she got and the moment she came was met with a brutal thrust from his hips as her head fell back, and his name was cried out into the empty room.

Anakin continued to thrust up into her even after her release hit. His cock throbbed and his balls tightened as at last his release hit. His fingers squeezed her hips tight enough to leave bruises in their wake as he released himself into her. Padme let her body melt into his as they both came down from their high. Her head next to his, and his arms wrapped tightly around her while their overly sensitive bodies relaxed was unlike anything else. Her head turned to him, giving him a small smile before she kissed him lightly.

"What're you thinking about?" She asked, bringing her hand up to trace his lips.

Anakin smiled, "You," He said simply, taking her other hand in his and twining their fingers together. "Five years from now," He started, "Where do you see us?" He asked.

Padme snuggled her head against his chest, listening to the loud thumping of his relaxing heart. They've talked about their future enough that he already knows what she is going to say but there are times when they like to act like they don't. It gives them a chance to relive those conversations again and they are almost like a promise of every good thing to come. He watches her face as she bites her lower lip before speaking. "Five years from now? We're living in one of those suburban homes on Meadow Road. We have a three-year-old and one more on the way…" She pauses to press a kiss to his chest, "We're happy and by some miracle between work and kids we still are able to find time to ourselves."

Anakin smiles and closes his eyes, imagining it. Whenever they talk about kids there is only one thing they disagree on how many. Padme insists on only having three while he is determined to have at least seven. She thinks he's crazy but he only ever shrugs and claims their legion of children is only an inevitability with how insatiable they both are. "Which house on Meadow?" He asked. Meadow Road is one of the closest residential areas to the hospital. Just outside the city limits and yet still close enough that they can get to work in fifteen minutes if they had to. It had one of the best public high schools just a few blocks over and the street was filled with other young families.

"The one with the garden," She said. They weren't actively looking to move just yet but they had passed an open house on that street once and just for fun they decided to have a look. The house they looked through wasn't anything spectacular but when they looked out the window of the master bedroom, Padme practically fell in love with the neighbor's garden. Rose bushes, ivy arches and a stone path leading to a white gazebo; even he couldn't deny it was pretty. The outside of the house was also very nice with a two car garage, front and back porch and a balcony on the second floor. It was their dream home.

"Of course," He chuckled. There were times he thought it felt odd that he was dreaming of such a simple life for himself. For most of his life, he had dreamed of adventure, traveling the world and experiencing things no one else could. But most of those dreams seemed to have settled since his discharge. He had seen other parts of the world, parts he hoped no one else would, and the things he had seen and experienced… they aren't things he likes to think about. What he wants in life now is so simple. A wife, kids, a home with good schools, a good job… that was enough for him. It is so simple, and yet he can't help but wonder how he can possibly content with such a settled life at twenty-six? Glancing down at Padme nestled against him, he knows the answer. He smiled and kissed the top of her head. He wasn't really settling. There was no greater adventure for him than the life he would build with her.

Anakin rested his head on the arm of the couch and closed his eyes. He was tired and more than happy to take a quick power nap while he had the time. He wasn't sure how much time had elapsed since they… got distracted but until either of them were needed moving wasn't something he had any intention of doing. The harsh beeping of a pager rang in the room and he groaned and banged his head against the couch. Padme leaned over him and reached for the pile of their clothes on the floor. She sifts through the pile and picks up both pagers.

"It's mine," She says with a sigh as she rolls over him and starts to get dressed. "You should probably get dressed too," She said, her eyes on him unabashed as she pulled up her pants.

He smirked and folded his hands behind his head. "Is that so?"

She paused a moment and he watched as her eyes took their time trailing over him, "On second thought, maybe a cold shower first," She said, raising her brow at his growing erection.

Anakin glanced down at himself and heaved a loud sigh. "Great," He muttered, reaching down and roughly picking up his discarded pants, the material snapping against the leg of the coffee table as he shook them out and stood up.

He felt her hands press against his shoulder blades and moments later her lips as she pressed a soft kiss to his spine. "Later," She promised before she turned and made her way for the door. Anakin shook his head as he pulled his shirt over his head and pulled on his jacket, stuffing his hands in the pockets and pulled it tight around his front to hide his obvious problem. She didn't even have to try to get a reaction out of him.


	6. Chapter 6

Mostly filler in this chapter and the next, but it was about time things slowed down a bit. I have a lot of ideas for this story and it will take a while to build up to them so look forward to a long story! As always, I apologize for the long waits on this and all my other stories. Most of my motivation right now is for this story and Daddy's Little Princess (which will be my next update!) but the delay is mostly because I have so much work on my plate it is nearly impossible to write as much as I would like. Good news is winter break is coming up! Bad news is I will probably still have projects because college.

Enough of my real life, which isn't nearly as interesting as this.

Happy reading!

-DFD

* * *

Chapter 6

"You have to invite your Aunt Nita, she'll be heartbroken if you don't," Jobal said sitting at the head of her sister's dining room table as she sifted through her address book.

Padme rested her head on her folded arms on the table, "She hasn't called, let alone _seen_ me since I was in preschool," She argued. "I don't think she'll be as heartbroken as you say. Besides, Anakin and I already decided we don't want a big wedding. We just want you, dad, Sola, Darred and the girls, and friends from work."

Her mother shook her head, "Nonsense. The entire family missed the first wedding, we're not missing the second," She said, scribbling the name down on the guest sheet.

Padme smiled and picked her head up to look through the wedding binder Sola and her mother had been kind enough to assemble for her. The past two months had been hectic at work for both her and Anakin. Two of the ORs were in the middle of renovations, leaving only four functional ORs in the hospital and meaning the surgeons had to work longer hours just to keep up with the number of patients coming in. They had so little time to actually plan the event that Sola had offered to help at least get the ball rolling and throw some ideas at them. This of course eventually led to her mother getting involved and thus the list of guests tripled overnight.

"What about Palo?" Jobal asked, raising her eyes to look at her younger daughter.

"My high school boyfriend Palo? What about him?" She asked with a raised brow.

Her mother shrugged, "Oh I don't know, I just remember the two of you had been close, I thought you might consider inviting him."

Padme didn't even need to think about it, "No, once we broke up all contact ended," She said, turning the page in the binder to the ideas her sister had about cakes. She looked over at her sister sitting across from her on her laptop looking up save the date templates. "Do you really think the cake needs to be as tall as me?" She asked, pointing to the 5-foot-tall cake concept her sister had taped into the binder.

Sola smiled and turned her head to her, "If I had to chance to get married again, I'd go all out," She said.

"You know," Padme started, "I'm thinking about something, something you need in order to have a wedding. It's green, made of paper, and has presidents on it. Do you know what it is?" Sola rolled her eyes and gave a mock laugh before turning back to the computer.

The sound of laughter preceded the sound of the side door opening and Anakin and Darred came in. They were in the middle of talking about something and she only realized it was cars when one of them said 'engine'. Padme looked up and saw both of them had grease on their hands and clothes. Her eyes narrowed at him, silently telling him to get cleaned up. He caught her eye and gave her a wide smile before walking over to her and picking up the bag of clean clothes she smartly convinced him to bring.

"How's the planning, ladies?" He asked, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"Swell," Sola answered, "Though your fiancée has some pretty demanding requests," She said before turning to Darred and gesturing for him to go get cleaned up.

"Is that so?" He laughed. Padme rolled her eyes at her sister. "Well, whatever it is, she can have it. Just tell me when to be there," He said, taking a moment to look down at himself, "I'll be right back," He said, disappearing around the corner to the bathroom to get changed.

Both her mother and her sister eyed her after he left. "What?" Padme asked, darting glances between them.

Sola looked back at her computer but her mother gave her a knowing smile, "If I were a few years younger-"

"Mother!" Padme's cheeks went red as she hissed the word.

Jobal raised her hands, "I'm just saying, he's a keeper," She said, "He's a much better boy than I initially thought when you first told me about him. Back then, I hated the thought that a boy we never met married you. And then when you broke up…" She paused and shook her head, "But, since he came to ask your father and me for permission to marry you… I have to say, he truly is a better man now. And I'm glad you found one another."

Padme smiled and reached for her mother's hand with both of hers, squeezing the hand tightly, "Thanks, Mom. You have no idea how much that means to me."

Her mother smiled, "All I want is for you to be happy, and I can see that you are, and I can see that he will go above and beyond to keep it that way," The smile on her face dropped, "Now all I have to do is convince your father."

She released her mother's hand and let her gaze return to the binder, "He still isn't happy, is he?"

"It's not that he isn't happy," She started, "He just… can't see beyond what he did the last time. He's afraid for you."

Padme shook her head, "He has nothing to be afraid of," She argued. "We've been dating, we've been living together, we've talked about the future; this will work out."

Jobal smiled, "I know that. But, he's your father. And fathers are always over protective when it comes to their little girls."

"No kidding," Darred said as he came to stand beside his wife. "Remember when I first asked you out?" He asked, looking down at Sola, "Your dad kept me standing out on the porch," He started, shifting to stand up straight and crossed his arms over his chest like her father often did, "In the freezing cold, the front door wide open, his arms crossed, eyes glaring at me while we waited for miss perfect to finish getting ready." He received a sharp blow to the stomach from his wife. Darred hunched over and held his belly, "What? It's true. Back then you took forever to get ready."

Sola's eyes narrowed at her husband, "I did not."

Padme and Jobal exchanged looks, "Yes you did," They said simultaneously.

"Whenever we had plans to go to the mall I gave you a time thirty minutes before we had to be there just so we would arrive on time," Padme said.

Jobal nodded in agreement, "And on trips, we had to wake you two hours before everyone else just so we could all get out of the hotel on time," She added.

Darred smiled, "Yeah, good thing all that changed once you popped out the girls." The other two women at the table nodded while Sola narrowed her eyes at them.

Anakin appeared a moment later dressed in a clean tee and jeans. "Did I miss anything?" He asked.

"What do you think of these for the save the dates?" Sola asked, desperate to get the attention off of her.

Padme rolled her eyes at the attempt, but let her sister change the subject. Anakin clearly felt out of the loop, but she would be sure to tell him all about it when they got home. Until then, it was best they at least tried to finalize at least a few things.

[][][][]

His eyes darted up to the resident across from him more often than he normally did. He couldn't help it. Ahsoka had to make her choice of which hospital offer she was going to take very soon and he hasn't asked her about it in weeks. It wasn't easy to avoid asking, but Padme assured him it was the best he could do if he wanted her to stay. Constantly pestering her about it had a very good chance of pushing her towards the other offers on the table.

"You can stop staring, SkyGuy," She said, barely even lifting her eyes to him, "I know what I'm doing. You taught me well."

Anakin smiled under his mask, "I know…" He said, biting his tongue.

"Wedding got you in jitters?" She asked.

He laughed and shook his head, forcing himself to pay attention to what Ahsoka was doing, "No. The planning sucks, though. So many little details like what color ribbons to put on the flowers, and if the table covers should be white or ivory. I really don't see a difference."

Ahsoka called for suction to clear the chest cavity and inspected region carefully before locating the tear and calling for sutures. She really didn't even need him there. He hadn't needed to guide her even once throughout the entire surgery. And the knowledge that he was largely responsible for her teaching filled him with a sense of pride.

"I don't think anyone does," She said. "Oh, I got the save-the-date," Her eyes met his for a moment and he knew she had a smug smile on her face, "The picture is _really_ cute."

The save the dates had a large picture from their last visit to the City Garden Park just outside the city. They had taken many pictures that day all so they had a variety of images to pick from for the cards. In the picture, Padme sat between his legs on the large porch railing of the main building. He had his hands wrapped around her middle while her hands covered his, the engagement ring clearly visible on her left hand.

Anakin narrowed eyes narrowed at Ahsoka, "You do realize I can make sure you don't get any cardio cases indefinitely, right?"

Despite the threat, her eyes didn't show even a hint of fear, "You wouldn't dare. I'm the best resident you have."

"Don't be so sure. Lux might not be interested in cardio, but he could easily take your place if he wanted."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes, "Please, he's a trauma guy. All he focuses on is damage control. He can't possibly be as precise as I am."

"You sure?" He asked, peering into the chest cavity and noticing a flaw in her sutures.

"Shit," She hissed, moving quickly to apply another suture, the smile on her face now gone and a light blush forming on her cheeks.

Anakin shook his head, "You're not a cardio surgeon just yet," He said, "Precision is something you get from experience and you haven't had nearly enough to get cocky."

[][][][]

They watched as the patient was rolled out of the OR through the glass window in the scrub room as they cleaned up. Anakin glanced over at Ahsoka once more and his impatience got the better of him. "Have you decided yet?" He asked, startling the girl.

"Huh?"

He sighed and turned off the water, grabbing a towel and drying his hands. "I shouldn't ask, I know I sound desperate, but I gotta know… are you leaving?"

She was silent a moment, her eyes locked on the OR instead of him. "You've taught me everything I know, given me opportunities most interns and residents would only dream of…"

"But?" He coaxed.

Ahsoka turned and faced him, bracing herself on the sink, "But I have to find my own path. It's not that I don't want you to teach me, I do. Really, I do… but I need to learn somewhere else if I'm to truly be as great as you tell me I am. A new hospital, new opportunities, new teachers." She paused a moment and took a breath, "Your experience in the army made you and Ben great surgeons. You probably had more teachers than me, in so many different specialties; can you honestly say you would have been just as great with only one?"

He shook his head.

She gave him a sad smile, "So you know why I have to go." It wasn't a question. He knew. He understood. He wasn't happy about it, but he understood.

"Promise me one thing," He started, forcing himself to give her a smile, "Just be brilliant. Show those other fellows why you're the best. Take pride from your victories, and learn from your defeats."

Ahsoka returned his smile and nodded, "You got it, SkyGuy." She said.


	7. Chapter 7

Short chapter, but I really needed to get this chapter out since I have such plans for the future that I don't think I can spend too much more time with all the fluff. Sorry again for the LONG delay on this and all my other stories! Winter has just not been my season unfortunately.

Next chapter will be longer! Promise! And updates for my other stories are coming... eventually.

Happy reading!

* * *

Chapter 7

"Oh my God! You look so beautiful!" Sola gushed when Padme emerged from the dressing room dressed in a ballgown wedding dress.

"Are you going to say that for every dress?" She asked with a raised brow. Her eyes found her reflection in the full-length tri-mirror behind her. Of the six dresses, she had tried on this one was her least favorite. The way the gown fanned out from her waist down was too wide and the patterns stitched into the crisp white of the bust and down the side looked too rough compared to the rest of the dress. It was a beautiful dress, but it wasn't _her_ dress. "I look like a cupcake." She said and watched as Ahsoka, Satine and Mina all nodded their heads in agreement.

"You just don't look very comfortable," Mina said.

"And if I remember correctly, I think that was the dress she suggested you try," Satine added, gesturing to the assistant who was helping in the selection process.

"It just doesn't look like you," Ahsoka added. Of the people Padme invited to help her pick the dress, Ahsoka was probably the one who knew Anakin the best. She already knows he doesn't really care what dress she wears- she could wear a white garbage bag and he'd still think she was beautiful. But, she wanted a wedding and she wanted all the classic bells and whistles that went with it and in theory just hearing what Anakin would probably tell her would make the process much easier. "Try the dresses you like," Ahsoka said as she stood and walked over to the small rack that held the three other dresses they had selected to try on. She scanned the rack and pulled out one and held it up for her to see, "I think this was the one you picked, right?" She asked. Padme could make out the lace on the dress and nodded her head. "The other two were picked by me and Satine. So just try this one," She said, handing the dress to the assistant.

Padme sighed and smiled at the young girl before turning and returning to the dressing room eager to get out of the current dress. The assistant silently helped her out of the dress, releasing the clamps and letting the large dress pool at her feet. She hadn't thought wedding dress shopping would be so difficult. Padme remembered Sola's wedding and how smoothly the entire planning phase had gone. She even had the perfect dress on the first try and only had to try others on simply because they had paid for the time. She never really understood why her sister had it so easy. Maybe it was because while she had been playing doctor with a small toy doctor's bag, her sister had been planning her wedding and the family life she wanted. Or maybe it was simply because her sister had always been drawn to big events and just thrived in this arena. Either way, she was growing tired of trying on dresses. They all had their good parts and bad, but she was only comfortable in maybe two.

The assistant laid the new dress out and helped her step into it. She hated that there wasn't a mirror in the dressing room. It made it impossible for her to simply stop the assistant and say no the moment she started to not like it. But, she supposed that was the point. She hoped this would be the last dress she would need to try. Looking ahead, three months was not that far away. And with her work schedule so complicated, and Farr going to a neurology conference next month, it meant her schedule would be even more erratic. How was she supposed to find a dress when time seemed to be against her? She didn't even have bridesmaid dresses. Padme shook her head. It was so much easier when they eloped the first time. With the final clamp in place, Padme took a breath, hoping this was the one and that she could just be done with it.

Stepping outside, she had expected Sola to say "you look beautiful," or something along those lines. Instead, all four of them gasped and said nothing. It was ugly. She just knew it. Now she had to find more time to look for dresses and schedule and-

"Wow…" Her breath catches when she sees herself in the mirrors. This was the dress.

[][][][]

With a cold beer in one hand and the latest copy of Motor Weekly in his hand, Anakin smiled as he relaxed further into the couch. It wasn't often he was home alone with nothing of importance to do. Even when their days off were different, it meant groceries, housework, or errands neither of them has time during normal hours to do. And since this was the first time in weeks- if not months- that he was afforded such a luxury, he meant to enjoy every moment he had. And for him, that meant to catch up on non-work related reading which he normally has to reserve just before bed and often is either forgotten due to exhaustion or because no one in their right mind could possibly resist the sensual charm of Padme Amidala.

Sifting through the magazine, he looked for the article on classic cars featured on the cover.

The article featured a picture set of a refurbished classic 1955 Thunderbird. The pictures showed the car when it was found in an old garage covered in rust with the original 292 v8 engine in less than optimal condition and slowly showed the progression of the restoration. It was an amazing transformation. Where most people would see a pile of junk not worth saving, someone had the foresight to see a way to bring that beautiful machine back to life. The smile on his face widened as he read about the amount of work that went into the restoration.

Padme had once remarked that he looked at a car magazine the same way a kid looks at candy in a candy store. He had laughed, but his fascination with cars, engines and grease did border on obsession since he was always thinking of new pet projects for his bike or Padme's car- which he had to _swear_ never to touch unless it was broken.

The door to the apartment opened with a click as Padme unlocked the door and entered stifling a yawn as she did so. "Busy day?" He asked, leaning his head back so he could see her, albeit upside-down.

"Yeah," She said, throwing her bag onto the kitchen counter. Anakin made to sit up to give her room to sit but she stopped him, climbing on top of him to halt his movement, coming to rest with her chin resting on her hands folded on his chest. "But it was productive," She said, biting her lower lip slightly.

Anakin smiled and closed the magazine, giving her his full attention. "Did you find a dress?" He asked, his finger twining around a lock of her brown hair that fell in her face. She nodded but her gaze dropped, making him furrow his brow. "What is it?" He asked.

"It's just…" She paused as she processed what she was going to say, "We're getting _married._ "

"Having second thoughts?" He asked, his voice softened as he tried to give an air of calm despite how his mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

Padme shook her head, "No, never," She said, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I love you, there is no question that marrying you is right," She said, knowing exactly what he needed to hear.

"Then what is it?"

She took a moment to collect her words before she spoke, "Getting the dress… it just makes it _real_ ," She started. "We're really doing this, starting our life together," Her hands found their way into his hair, her fingers playing with the longer hair resting at the base of his neck.

"Yeah…" He said as he moved his hand to cup the back of her neck. "A little surreal isn't it? I still can't believe you said yes."

"Did you actually think I was going to say no?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You could have," He said with a shrug. "Everyone said you would say yes, but on the off chance you didn't, I had to have a plan for a smooth recovery."

"Really?" She asked skeptically.

A smug smile formed on his face, "Oh yes, I was prepared. Bartender had a large bottle of scotch ready for us that was bound to make us forget the day entirely."

Padme laughed lightly and slid her right hand back up to the base of his neck. She knew he was making it up but sometimes it was nice to play into his fantasies. "Shame I didn't say no then," She said.

"I'm glad you didn't," He said and Padme leaned up and pressed her lips to his softly before resting her head against his chest, letting the beat of his heart lull her.

The rest of the night went by peacefully with Anakin reading through his car magazine and her recounting the other things she had done that day. It was such an ordinary thing and it was nothing special, but there was something about ordinary that just made it feel like their lives were exactly as they should be. That all the struggles, all the problems in their lives were finally over.


	8. Chapter 8

**Bit of a time jump this time! I really want to get more to the root of this story- which right now is scheduled for chapter 12 or so...**

 **Anyways, I admit this chapter really isn't my best, but fluff is something I don't really think I'm too good at, plus, weddings are just really hard to write. Either way, this is what months of writing and rewriting has gotten me!**

 **Happy Reading! I promise the next chapter will be better!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 8

The day of the wedding came faster than he thought it would. Standing before a large full length mirror in the room Anakin had been given to sleep in the night before, he looked himself over. Dressed in a grey suit with white tie and boutonniere, for the first time since he proposed, he felt nervous. After Padme finished making decisions on the wedding dress and the bridesmaid stuff, the months flew by faster than an aortic dissection. Running his hand over his hair, he tried to fix the invisible lumps only he could see as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He wasn't nervous. What did he have to be nervous for? All he had to do was stand before the fifty-some people and proclaim his love to the woman he loves. That isn't hard… is it?

The door to his room clicked open and he actually jumped before turning to see it was only Ben. He wore the same color suit but with a light blue colored tie kept in place by the grey vest and he had his jacket hanging over his arm. "You seem a bit on edge," He commented.

"Do I? Cause I feel great, never better," Anakin said, sounding more nervous than he wanted to.

Ben shook his head and closed the door behind him as he walked over to him, throwing his jacket on the back of a chair. "You're sweating, relax," He said, "What are you so nervous for anyway? I'm the one that has to give a speech about how you and Padme are the ideal couple when it took you three times, and around seven years to get it right."

Anakin narrowed his eyes at his best man, "Really?" He shook his head, "I guess I just don't want to screw it up."

Ben leaned his hip against the bed frame and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "Screw it up?" He questioned.

"Trip over my feet, say the wrong thing, step on _her_ feet-"

"Cause an earthquake that takes half the continent?"

Anakin groaned, "Not funny, Ben! I'm serious!"

The older man laughed and shook his head, "Anakin, stop worrying! If you ask me, the wedding is more of a formality. You've practically been married since you moved in with her so what are you so worried about?"

He held out his hands in front of him, "I don't know!" He said through clenched teeth. "This should be easy, right? I mean, I love her, she loves me… she agreed to marry me again…"

Ben walked over to stand in front of him and took him roughly by the shoulders, "Calm down," He urged. "It is easy, frankly you just have a tendency to overthink and over react. Take a breath, think about the last night at the rehearsal." Anakin closed his eyes and took a breath, "Padme never left your side once. I saw the look in her eyes as clearly as I'm sure everyone else did. She doesn't have any regrets about being with you, so neither should you."

Anakin let out a relaxed breath and nodded his head as he reopened his eyes, "Thanks for that," He said.

Ben gave a shrug as he went to retrive his coat, buttoning the top button and pulling out the sleeves of his shirt, "Don't mention it," He said, "It's my job today to make sure you actually make it to the altar."

[][][][]

Padme glanced at the clock as her sister finished helping her into her dress. She wasn't nervous at all, rather she was anxious to finally have things go back to normal where she didn't have to come home only to have a pile of choices she had to make waiting for her on her phone. It was tiring, but as she stared at herself in the mirror, she couldn't say it wasn't worth it. She smiled as she imagined the look on her husband-to-be's face when he would see her; his jaw would probably hit the floor when he saw her.

A soft knock on the bedroom door had her turning to greet her visitor. The door opened slowly as Sola stepped aside to so their father could see her better. He looked at her for a long moment before he smiled and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief. "You look beautiful, Padme," He said, "Just like your mother on her wedding day."

"Thank you, Daddy," She said, stepping forward to hug him, her hands wrapping around his midsection tightly.

Ruwee pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her in his protective embrace. "I just want you to be happy," He started.

"I am… more than you know," She said. "Anakin isn't the same man he was back then."

He nodded, "I know, I suppose it's just hard to see my baby girl grow up." He checked his watch and pulled back from their embrace, "It's almost time, are you ready?" He asked, holding his arm out to her.

Padme smiled and took it gladly, "Yes."

[][][][]

Anakin stood on the terrace overlooking the lake with Ben, Ahsoka and Darred beside him. The guests were now seated and now they were just waiting for the small string quartet to change the song to signal the start of the wedding. Anakin had long since placed his focus entirely on the quartet, deeming the sight of the glass doors through which Padme would emerge was just making him more anxious. He wasn't really interested nor was he even listening to the music, he just needed to focus on watched as each finger on the cello player's hand danced up and down the neck, occasionally using a fluttering vibrato. As the quartet ended the piece they were playing, they quickly turned their sheet music over to the next song and this one caught everyone's attention. The more upbeat song was different from the songs they had played while people entered. Anakin's head shot forward as he watched shadows dance behind the curtains of the glass windows of the doors. When the doors swung open, Sola stepped out, carrying a small bouquet of blue flowers, she walked down the isle with a smile on her face. When she was about halfway down, Satine started to walk, and then Dorme, and then Sabe, and then Mina, after whom the doors shut.

Anakin shifted his weight and felt Ben's firm hand on his shoulder to steady him. As Mina took her place, the song ended and the moment it took for the quartet to flip their sheet music felt like an eternity. But once the music started again and the doors opened again, Anakin let out the breath he didn't know he had been holding as he saw Padme standing in the archway with her father. He smiled widely as she slowly walked towards him. Their eyes were locked on each other and it felt as though the world around them faded and they were the only ones there. As Padme's march ended, He shook hands with Ruwee before holding his hand to Padme who took his hand and together they turned to face the officiant.

As much as he should have been paying attention to what the officiant said, he couldn't. His eyes took in every detail of his bride, from the lace pattern sewn into the dress and the gold filigree that was woven into the patterns, to the way her hair flowed under her vale and how she had two curled tendrils framing her beautiful face. She was an absolute vision. "You look beautiful," He whispered in the air between them.

Padme smiled at him, and squeezed his hands, "And you look so handsome," She said.

Anakin barely heard his name when the officiant called for his vows and he said them with passion, his words seeming to please his bride as he pledged his life and his heart to her. The officiant then called for Padme's vows and she being the eloquent person she is, spoke with an eloquent grace that confirmed her love for him and her desire to spend the rest of her life with him.

The exchanging of the rings followed, which for them they couldn't get done with fast enough as each of them knew it was almost over. With the rings in place on their hands, they moved closer, knowing what the officiant would say next. Anakin could feel Padme tremble in his arms and he was sure he was too. And when the officiant finally said "You may kiss the bride," neither hesitated to close the distance between their lips as they kissed for the first time in almost four years as husband and wife.

[][][][]

After the conclusion of the wedding, all the guests moved into the opulent living room which had been opened up to allow all fifty some guests to dance and dine as they celebrated their wedding. The reception was to last until midnight and Padme was glad to see everyone still having fun even after dinner was done. She watched as Dorme and Sabe danced to the upbeat song that she had heard on the radio too many times and was about to join them when strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back to the far wall where hungry lips proceeded to assault her neck.

"Ani!" She laughed, turning in his arms, and pushing back on his chest.

"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" He asked, his voice muffled as he pressed his lips to her neck again.

Padme smiled and pushed at his chest again, "Yes, for the hundredth time."

Anakin chuckled and pressed his forehead against hers, "Well let me tell you again; you are so beautiful," He said, cupping her cheek in his hand and running his thumb lightly across her cheek.

She sighed and covered his hand with hers, turning her head enough so she could kiss his palm before pulling it away from her face and tugging his hand lightly. "Come dance with me," She said taking a backwards step towards the dance floor.

Her husband chuckled and shook his head, "I'm really not much of a dancer," He said.

Her brow knitted and gave him a mock pout, "Oh, is the great Anakin Skywalker afraid of a little dancing?"

He laughed and shook his head, "Afraid? Never," He said, closing the gab between them and wrapping an arm around her waist tightly was her hands locked around his neck. "You should be though," He said.

"And why is that?"

Anakin smirked and walked them to the center of the dance floor, "Because me dancing is bound to be embarrassing." And with that said, he pulled away from her and started to dance… at least thats what she assumed be was doing.


	9. Chapter 9

**Haven't written and NSFW chapter in a while so I may be a bit rusty but this is what I came up with. I have the sudden determination to get to chapter 11 very soon and I already have half of chapter 10 done so you can expect that soon! This chapter might seem a bit choppy but I honestly wasn't sure how to drag it out so thats why it is the way it is. Still, I do hope you enjoy it! It is all building to something I promise!**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 9

Their lips mashed together passionately as they swiftly shut the door to the master suite behind them. His hands gripped her hips tightly while her fingers worked to undo the buttons of his dress shirt. Most of the wedding guests had already left, leaving them alone for the remainder of their wedding night - something they had been waiting for for the past two hours or so since they started to tire of entertaining guests.

Anakin let out a groan as her hand ran over the hard length that was still confined in his pants and he couldn't help but thrust into her hand. He felt her smile against his lips, well aware of the effect she had on him before her hand slowly made the long journey back up to his shoulders and pushed the shirt off his body, allowing her the pleasure of feeling his warm body unhindered. She gripped the white tie that was still around his neck and gave it a soft tug. Anakin smirked at his bride as she ended the kiss and the sly smile she gave him made his cock twitch as she turned around and moved her long curls over one shoulder, looking back at him expectantly.

He understood what she wanted immediately and he was more than willing to indulge her. With skilled hands, he undid the top clasp of her dress before moving on to the remaining ties holding it closed, parting the material as he went. With every inch of skin slowly revealed, Anakin pressed a soft kiss to her back, feeling her tense in anticipation as he kissed her shoulders and down her spine. The final fastening was just above the swell of her ass and when it came loose, he slowly ran his hands down her arms as he pushed the dress off, freeing her from the waist up to his hungry lips.

His arms came to wrap around her middle, pressing his face to her neck as he gave one breast a firm squeeze. He smirked against her skin as she sighed and tilted her head, encouraging him to continue as her hand grip his wrist tightly, holding his hand in place on her breast as he gently flicked her nipple and ground against her backside. "Don't stop," She moaned, pressing herself closer to him, just as desperate as he was for more. And with that in mind, he swiftly moved them to the bed, pushing the rest of her dress to the floor and arranging her on her hands and knees as he came to settle behind her.

He was amazed at how eager they both were. Despite having made love more times than he could recall, this night they were especially needy. His lips kissed a fine line from the base of her spine to her shoulder blades and the soft sweet sounds coming from her lips were so much more lustful than they had ever been. He never wanted this to end. Their wedding was a milestone for them- one that solidified what they already knew and one that completely sealed the past hurt feelings away for good. It was a sign of absolute forgiveness and the start of the second chance he had been desperate for. This day meant more to him than anyone knew and he never wanted it to end.

Padme whined under him and thrust her hips back to him and he smirked at her wanton behavior. He loved it when she was like this. The thought that such a sound and such a sight was only for him now, filled him with a sense of masculine pride and a need to please her in every way. Leaning forward, he kissed her shoulder gently before sliding his tongue along the length of her slender neck towards her earlobe and nipped it, making her moan. "Ani, stop teasing," She said, looking back at him.

He smiled as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "You love it when I tease," He said, kissing her softly as shifted against her, showing her exactly what he was going to do to her later.

She sighed and reached back only to give his tie a firm tug in warning, making him grunt. "Don't test me tonight," She said, her lips curling into a smile that begged him to challenge her. And while he normally wasn't one to shy away from a challenge, he knew it wasn't smart to challenge his wife on their wedding night.

Instead, he released his grip from her and moved to undo his pants, "As milady commands," He said, fumbling with the button of his pants a moment before letting his pants and boxers fall to the ground. He groaned as his cock brushed against her lips as he settled himself over her back, his hands coming to rest on hers as he kisses between her shoulder blades. She was so warm, so wet and ready for him and the intensity of the emotions he felt made him almost certain he wasn't going to last long. His name slipped past her lips as she slid herself along his length and he eagerly moved against her in turn, just as needy as she was.

After only a moments pause, he readjusted himself, pressing the head of his cock at her opening, relishing the heat of her before slowly pushing inside. He groaned loudly as he felt her walls cling to him, and her wetness coats him. She was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The feel of her skin, the way her walls pulled at him, the way she said his name when he was inside her… perfection. "Padme…" He whispered, resting his head against her back as he thrust slowly into her, her breasts bobbing with every thrust. "I love you… so much…"

She moaned loudly as he moved within her, her hips moving in time with his. Her hand found its way into his hair, pulling his head back to her neck where he suckled and nipped at the skin, marking her as his thrusts grew harder and her walls clung more to him. It didn't seem like either of them were going to last long tonight, but he smirked, knowing that even once they finished, there would still be more hours left in the night to resume.

[][][][]

Padme snuggled closer to the warm body of her husband as the sun started to peek in through the windows. Letting out a tired sigh, she tried to drift back to sleep, thoroughly exhausted from the previous nights… activities. She smiled as she remembered how many times they made love. Five was it? It certainly was memorable and she wouldn't be surprised if she ended up being pregnant by this time next month. It was like when they had first gotten together, they just couldn't seem to get enough of one another, like a second honeymoon phase, though this time it was their actual honeymoon. Anakin let out a soft snore as she hiked her leg over his. She was slightly disappointed they couldn't take off more than a week but she has never really been the type of person to take vacations anyway- devoted to her work to the end- a trait that Anakin continues to make fun of. Padme smiled as she felt his hand gently slide down her spine, caressing the skin softly before cupping her backside and giving it a firm squeeze. He was awake. Opening her eyes, she shifted so she was laying on top of him and kissed his lips. His eyes remained closed as if asleep but his smile gave him away.

"I know you're awake," She said, rolling her eyes as he shook his head.

"No, I'm not," He mumbled, wrapping both his arms around her.

"Yes you are," She laughed, cupping his cheeks and kissing him long and hard until his eyes opened.

Anakin smiled at her and brought one hand to caress her cheek. She leaned into his touch and kissed his palm. "No, I'm not," He said again, "I'm still dreaming my wonderful girlfriend actually became my wife."

She let out a sigh and raised a brow at him, "I am your wife, dummy," She said, holding her hand out to him, showing him the ring on her hand.

"So you are," He smirked, kissing her hand before rolling them over so he was on top. "Are you interested in knowing how I treat my wife in the morning?" Padme giggled as his playful side took over and gripped his shoulders tightly.

His lips met her throat as his hands skimmed along her thighs up to her hips. "Anakin," She laughed, pushing him away slightly, "You don't really think we're staying in bed the entire week, do you?"

"We could," He said simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

Padme pressed a quick kiss to his lips and pulled away, ducking under his arm so she could maneuver herself from under him, "Come on," She said, ignoring his groan of protest and how he flopped back down onto the bed as she tied a robe around herself. She shook her head at her husband, not surprised how he wanted to spend the week. A smile crossed her lips as she made her way to the bathroom for a shower. There was one way she knew to at least get him moving. And like clockwork, only a few moments after she stepped under the steaming water, she felt her husband's chest pressed against her back and she smiled as she leaned back into him.

[][][][]

Padme sighed as she rested her back against the wall next to the OR she had just finished operating in and watched as the scrub nurses wheeled her patient to the ICU. She has missed this. After a week of nothing but shopping, swimming, sailing, and mind-blowing sex; it was nice to finally be back at work… though she could easily do without the long hours. It was well passed eight now and she had still yet to have dinner and she was certain Anakin hasn't eaten either since he has been in surgery much longer than she had been. Padme took a quick peek inside the OR she knew Anakin had been in earlier and noted how the nurses were taking care to clean up the room. She smiled since that meant he was out of surgery and maybe if his patient was well, it meant they could leave soon and grab dinner on the way home.

Anakin's patient had been a baby girl whose heart was not formed properly and had required a heart transplant. It wasn't often that babies needed transplants but when they did, it was always hard to come by a heart and they were fortunate to even get one. Padme stood by the doors of the neonatal facility and watched as her husband conducted a post-op on the baby, checking the incision and the stitches. The baby girl raised her hand up and Padme could hear her husband speak softly to the baby. "You're a fighter, aren't you?" He whispered. The baby cooed at his voice and he let out a small laugh as he let the baby grip his finger.

Padme smiled as she watched him interact with the little girl. The way he spoke to her, the way he rubbed his hand along her head, the way he seemed to calm her and get her to go back to sleep, told her that one day he would make a good dad. She wanted that with him someday. She didn't know exactly when, but watching him with that little girl, made her think that maybe someday was much closer than they thought.


	10. Chapter 10

**FINALLY! This my followers, is the plot point I have been building towards since I started writing this story! And after 10 chapters It is finally here! This chapter may jump around a bit but I was dying to get to this part and I just couldn't drag it out any more!** **I hope you like it!**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 10

"What?" Anakin asked between coughs as he choked on his drink while he and Padme ate lunch in the cafeteria. He hadn't expected her to say what he thinks she said. And to say it when he had a mouthful of soda no less.

Padme covered her laugh with her hand, and waited a moment for him to recover before she spoke. "You heard me," She said. "I think we should try to have a baby."

It has only been about three months since their wedding and while they had talked about having kids someday, he hadn't expected someday to apparently mean… now. "Are you sure?" He asked. "Not that I don't think- what I mean is… how long have you been thinking about this?"

His wife gave a shrug, "A while. I mean, it's not unheard of to have kids now is it?"

"Of course not," He said, running a hand through his hair, "But… are we even ready for kids?" It was a valid question. While things are obviously going great for them, he couldn't help but worry given how difficult it was for his mother to raise him. True, his mother was alone and he and Padme were in a much better financial situation, but that didn't change his desire to have kids when they actually were ready for them.

"I think so," She said. "And I'm almost thirty-one. The chance of conception is less and less every year after I turn thirty-five."

"That's years from now," Anakin argued.

"Yeah, but if we plan on having more than one we should start sooner rather than later, don't you think?" She was right, obviously. And they had talked about having at least three, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was too soon. "Unless… you changed your mind about-"

Anakin shook his head, "Never," He said. "I just… Are you sure? Absolutely sure?" He asked.

She smiled and reached across for his hand, "Ani, I've never been _more_ sure. There is nothing I want more than to have a baby with you."

He smiled and laced his fingers with hers, "Well, I guess I should make sure I don't have to stay overnight with any patients for the next few weeks," He said with a smirk. "It's going to take a lot of work to make a baby." His wife gave him a smack on the chest but he simply laughed and brought her hand to his lips. He was definitely looking forward to going home tonight.

[][][][]

Anakin smiled as he walked through the front door of the apartment. The smell of candles assaulted his senses as he threw his jacket on the coat rack and he looked around the dark apartment. The flickering of small lights caught his eye coming from the bedroom which must be the source of the floral scented candles. Kicking off his shoes, he followed the light and the sight that greeted him when he stood in the doorway pleased him immensely. Laying on her side, wearing nothing but a thin red lace nightie, was his wife. She smiled at him and beckoned him towards her with a curl of her finger and he was not dumb enough to refuse her, moving towards her, he crouched on the floor beside the bed, resting his chin on his hand. "You're really in the mood tonight, aren't you?" He asked with a smirk as he reached out to trace the curve of her breast with his index finger.

"Aren't you?" She countered with a raised brow.

He laughed and climbed on the bed with her, laying on his side facing her as he cupped her cheek and slid his hand down the column of her throat, "Always for you," He said, pulling her close and kissing her deeply. Her hands wrapped around his neck as they rolled over so he was on his back. Her fingers played with the collar of his t-shirt and tugged on it. Anakin lifted his arms up to help rid him of the material before resting his hands on her hips. He watched with fascination as she sat up, and shifted against him, grinding herself against him and sighing softly. " _Fuck…_ " He muttered, shifting against her as she teased him. He loved her like this. Rarely did she ever go to such lengths for his attention- she didn't really have to- but when she did, when she took charge like this, it got him so hard so fast it hurt.

"Don't worry," She whispered, trailing her hands down his chest towards his belt. "I'll take good care of you," She said, bending low and kissing the fly of his pants while she undid his belt. He groaned at the sight and watched as she looped her fingers around his pants and boxers and gave them a firm tug until they bunched at his knees.

" _Padme…_ " She wrapped her hand gently around his shaft and stroked him with torturously slow and light motions that had him groaning and bucking into her hand. She smiled at him and pressed her lips to this tip before releasing him and sitting up long enough to pull her nightie off and moving to straddle him.

Anakin smirked as noticed she hadn't even bothered with panties tonight as she ground her moist center against him. "Are you ready?" She asked, giving him a chance to back out if he wanted to.

In truth, he was terrified of becoming a father but with how insatiable they both could be, it was bound to happen eventually. And Padme wanted this with him. She loves him and clearly, she thinks he would be a good father, else she wouldn't be asking this of him. With a smile, he took her hips in his hands and leaned up to kiss her softly. "Let's make a baby," He said, forcing the head of his cock up into her. They both groaned as he sunk inside her. And her hands came to rest on his chest as she shifted him around inside her. " _I love you,_ " He sighed, letting his head fall back to the mattress.

Padme leaned forward and rested her forehead against his, stroking his cheek lightly with one hand. " _I love you so much,_ " She moaned, lifting her hips up before thrusting them back down onto him. His grip tightened and they quickly fell into a familiar rhythm as they raced towards completion. "Oh, Ani!" She cried, her head falling forward to rest on his collarbone, her hips still rising and falling over his while he thrust up hard into her.

"You feel so good," He grunted, " _So tight_ … God, you're _perfect_."

"Ani… I-I need-" Without needing her to finish, Anakin flipped them over, pulling her legs up to wrap around his waist, forcing his cock deeper inside her, making her cry out loudly.

Bracing himself above her with his hand next to her head, he carefully shifted inside her, pushing into her as far as he could. With a sigh, he pulled back before thrusting in harder than before, closing his eyes at the way she cried for him. Her arms came to wrap around him, her nails digging into his back and her heels resting just above his ass, holding him to her. Bending down, he nipped at her shoulder, thrusting into her hard, grunting as he moved. He was so worked up he wasn't going to last much longer and from the way her legs tightened around him and the feel of her walls pulsing against his shaft, he knew she was close as well. Increasing his pace, he sped them closer and closer to the edge. He nipped harder at her neck, trying to maintain enough control to send her over before him. "I'm close…" He whispered into her skin. "So close…"

Her hand slid down between them and felt as she started to play with her clit, the backs of her knuckles hitting his stomach as she brought herself over the edge with a loud moan of pleasure. He didn't last much longer. With one final thrust, he came hard into her, his balls quaking with every burst and a small tremor racing down his spine until he was spent.

His arms shook as he rested above her, her hands cupping his face and moving the locks of his hair that stuck to his sweat stained forehead. "I love you," She whispered, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. He smiled and pulled out slowly, sighing as he shifted to settle behind her, his hand coming to cover her belly where they hoped their child would one day start to grow. Her hands came to cover his as she settled against him, her smile never leaving her face as they drifted to sleep.

[][][][]

Padme paced the width of the living room as Anakin rummaged through the fridge to make a sandwich. On the coffee table sat a pregnancy test - the fourth one she's taken in five months. She had been feeling nauseous for over a week, fatigue and her breasts had been feeling tender, sure signs she might be pregnant. She hoped she was, but after so many false alarms, it was hard to tell. The first time she thought she was pregnant, she and Anakin sat on the couch talking about looking for a house, decorating a nursery… only to have those dreams crushed when the negative sign came up. And it happened two more times since and each time seemed to hurt more than the last. Anakin didn't seem to have a problem with all the missed attempts. He is supportive and encouraging, promising it will happen soon and that they just need to keep trying. She is starting to have her doubts that it is just a missed opportunity. They have been trying every night they could, taking the night calls at work only when it was absolutely necessary. In her mind, she should be pregnant, but she isn't.

The timer on her phone goes off loudly, jumping her out of her thoughts. Anakin walks quickly over to her as she grabs at the pregnancy test. "Well?" He asked, his eyes focused only on her as she looks at it.

With a shaking breath, she raises her eyes to his and shakes her head no. She immediately finds herself in his arms as he holds her close to him and rocks her gently, whispering the same thing he always says but she isn't listening. He kisses the top of her head and she pushed back, sitting on the couch and throwing the test onto the table. Anakin seats himself beside her and rubs her back in soft soothing motions. "I don't know what's wrong with me," She said.

"Nothings wrong with you," He said, taking her chin between his fingers and forcing her to look at him. "We just need to-"

"-Keep trying, I know," She said, cutting him off. "But that's not working, is it?"

Anakin sighed and leaned back into the arm of the couch, "What do you want to do?" He asked. "Do you want to stop?"

"Of course not!" She snapped, catching herself and taking a moment to calm down. "But… maybe we need help." She said.

His eyes went wide and he shook his head. "What you mean like in vitro? Padme, we don't need that kind of help."

"I meant we see a fertility specialist," She said. "In vitro is only if there isn't a chance of natural conception." She could tell the idea wasn't something he was particularly pleased with and they hadn't really talked about those options before, so she was in uncharted territory with this conversation. "Do you have something against artificial conception?" She asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

Anakin shrugged his shoulders. "It's… never been something I worried about," He said, not disclosing anything further, which worried her a little.

"And?" She said, trying to get him to elaborate but just let out a sigh and remained silent. "What if we did need that kind of help?" She asked, "If for some reason, I needed-"

"-But you don't."

"But if I did," She persisted, "Anakin, it's a valid question. Just tell me what you think."

He shook his head and let out a tired sigh before sitting up and taking her hand in his. "I love you, and… I want a family with you. And I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen…" He paused and gave a small shake of his head, "I just… don't like the idea of handing a doctor a cup of my stuff. I'll do it if I have to, I just… don't like it."

Padme raised a brow at him, "Do you think I _want_ to do it that way?" She asked. "Because I don't. I'm just…"

"Tired of looking at a negative test," He finished for her. She nodded her head before leaning against him and taking his hand his hers, tracing the lines on his hands. "We'll figure this out," He promised, holding her close and kissing her temple lightly.

[][][][]

The patient room of the fertility clinic smelled funny to him. It smelled like overly sanitized leather and floral scented air cleaner products mixed with baby powder. Compared to the surgically sterile environment he was used to, it only made his being their more uncomfortable. Beside him, Padme read through a fertility pamphlet the nurse had handed her, the front of which had one of those obviously fake family photos and the back had several fetal diagrams he would rather not look at. As a surgeon, he is completely comfortable with any patent it didn't matter if they were premature babies or elderly he had the ability to filter everything but his job out of his mind. But sitting in the waiting room with his wife where this was their future child they were talking about, suddenly he felt very uncomfortable.

The door to the office opened and they both turned to see a young woman walk in wearing a white lab coat and carried a file under her arm. "Mrs. Amidala, I'm Doctor Robb, the fertility specialist here," She greeted, extending her hand to her. "And you must be father-to-be," She said, holding her hand out to him as well.

"Yes, my husband, Anakin," Padme answered, her hand reaching for his. He took her hand in his firmly, giving it a squeeze as he sent her his silent support.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Doctor Robb said, taking a seat and looking quickly through the file, "So, why don't we go over your history, shall we?" She started. "How long have you been trying to conceive?"

"Six months," Padme answered.

"And you're under thirty-five, so what brings you in now instead of waiting longer?"

Padme squeezed his hand tightly, "I just want to make sure I'm doing everything I can."

The doctor nodded and made a small note in the file, "And do you have any family medical conditions you know of that could hinder your ability to conceive?"

She shook her head, "None," She said, "Both my mother and my sister had two children and no history of miscarriage. My mother was in her thirties when I was born."

"And what about you?" The doctor asked, turning her question to Anakin.

He blinked at her, understanding exactly what she was asking and slightly uncomfortable by it. "Uh, no," He said, shifting slightly, "No… problems I know of." Beside him, Padme smiled and rubbed her hand along his leg in a manner meant to soothe him. It didn't but he appreciated the gesture.

Doctor Robb nodded and closed the file, "Both of you shouldn't have issues conceiving but I can run some tests if you'd like."

Padme nodded her head, "Please," She insisted.

The doctor nodded and reached into the desk pulling out a clear plastic cup. and placing it on the desk. Anakin groaned and let his head hit the back of the chair. Padme gave him a sympathetic smile while the doctor tried to stifle a laugh. "There's a room in the back you can use. In the meantime, I will take your wife to the room next door and perform a simple exam to make sure everything is as it should be."

He sighed and took the cup, and shook his head before going into the back room. This day could not get any worse.

[][][][]

By the time Padme returned to the room Anakin had been waiting for close to twenty minutes. "How'd it go?" He asked as she sat down.

"Don't know yet," She said, "She's still looking at the data. I hope everything is okay," She whispered.

Anakin took her hand in his and kissed it, "It is," He said. "You worry too much."

"Then why do I feel like there's bad news coming?" She asked.

He gave a shrug and leaned back in the chair, "Because you think in worst case scenarios. Nothing bad is going to happen, though," He assured her, giving her a small smile to ease her. It worked… until Doctor Robb came back and sat down silently behind the desk with a serious expression on her face.

"There's no easy way to put this…"


	11. Chapter 11

**A little shorter than I originally planned, but that's okay! This will at least tide you over until I decide which of the 3 possible plot lines I will go down. Yeah this story has been sitting in my mind so long I kept coming up with new ideas. They all generally lead to the same thing so the question is figuring out which plot line I like best.**

 **Happy reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 11

The moment they were permitted to leave the office, Padme had all but run out the door. Her mind was still struggling with the information and even though she knew what Doctor Robb had said, she found it difficult to comprehend any of it. Anakin's eyes had remained on her from the moment the doctor had made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that for them to have a child was a statistical improbability. It didn't necessarily mean impossible, but at the same time, it all but crushed her hopes for a family. Anakin walked silently beside her, watching her carefully as she walked down the sidewalk. They had already walked past their car several blocks back but neither seemed to care. Padme just needed to do something and Anakin just seemed to want to make sure she was okay. "We could adopt," He started, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "I mean, what adoption agency would turn away two doctors? Medical backgrounds, good income… hours might be long, but we'd already agreed to cut back a bit when we did have kids, right?" She was barely listening to him. And as much as she appreciated him trying to help, what he was suggesting really wasn't something she wanted to consider. "Angel, did you hear me?"

Padme let out a sigh, "I heard you," She said.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Her eyes remained straight ahead as they came to stop at the crosswalk.

"What do you think about adopting?" He asked, "I think it would work. We just sign the paperwork and the legal stuff and then, just like that, we're parents."

Padme bit her tongue as she crossed the street when it turned green, walking quickly ahead of him. She heard him groan as he came up behind her and grabbed her arms. "What is it?" He asked, turning her around. His eyes were full of worry as he brushed her hair behind her ear.

"Nothing," She said with a shake of her head, "It's… a good idea."

"Padme…" He wasn't convinced. He was looking at her, silently begging her to open up to him.

"Ani, I don't want to talk about this."

He sighed and shook his head. "I know, Angel. But we have to," He said. "I need to know what you're thinking. I'm worried about you."

She tried to give him a half smile, "I'm fine."

"I don't believe you," He said, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "We've been talking about having kids for months now, and finding out we can't-"

"-I can't, you mean," She cut in. "I can't have a baby. You could have as many as you want. You can have that large family you want but I can't even have one."

"I wasn't finished," He said with a slight edge to his voice. "I was going to say we can't have kids _easily_. You heard the doctor. She said there was a low chance but that doesn't mean impossible. You're not barren."

"Yet," She muttered darkly. "My antral follicle count is only three."

Anakin let out a heavy sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "What do you want to do then?" He asked. "Do we keep trying? Give up? I'll do whatever you want."

"Then drop the conversation," She said, turning on her heels and walking ahead of him.

He was quick to catch up to her, though, keeping pace with her easily. "Let's not talk about adoption then" He started. "We… we can come back next month, run the tests again, try fertility treatments, in vitro fertilization; whatever it takes," He wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders as she let out a shuttering breath and the tears she had been holding back finally started to flow. "We'll get through this," He said, pulling her close as he rubbed soothing patterns into her back. "We always do."

Padme buried her face in his chest and cried freely, feeling totally unworthy of this man's undying love and determination. She knew Anakin well enough to know that he was set on this course and was ready to do absolutely anything to give them the family they want. She can't possibly imagine how hurt he will be when he too comes to realize how impossible it is.

[][][][]

"We should do something this weekend," Dorme said as she placed the tablet back on the dock. "Go on a little shopping spree, spa day, go to that little tea shop with the tiny sandwiches…" She smiled as she looked over at Padme who was looking through the scans of the trauma patient who came in the other day. "Padme?"

Huh? Oh, yeah… Sorry, I'm busy this weekend," She said, "Maybe some other time." Tucking the tablet under her arm, Padme turned and started to walk away. She knew what Dorme was doing. She was trying to cheer her up, no doubt because Anakin had asked her to. Padme hated when he did that. She wasn't some fragile thing that needs constant attention. She was fine. It had been weeks since she had gone to the fertility center, she was over it.

"If you're busy this week then how about next?" Dorme asked as he followed behind her. "Or the week after that, or the week after that… I don't even know what I'm having for dinner tonight so trust me when I say, I have no plans whatsoever for, at least, the next year."

Padme bit back a curse as she continued to walk. "Don't you have a bedpan to change?" She said through clenched teeth. The sound of Dorme's footsteps stopped and she regretted her words immediately. Padme had never been one to talk like that to nurses. It was rude, unthoughtful, and above all else, insulting. Nurses did so much more than what everyone thought they did. They were responsible for checking fluids, dosages, routine patient care, supplies; She knew without nurses hospitals would fall apart so why did she just say something so ignorant and narrow-minded? And to her best friend no less.

She stopped just a few steps ahead of where Dorme had stopped and turned around. Padme shook her head, "I-I'm sorry, Dorme. I shouldn't have said that."

Her friend gave a shrug, "No, it's fine," She said, though she was clearly not fine, in fact, she looked quite mad, and rightfully so. "You're right, I do have a bedpan to change. I also have to monitor _your_ neuro patient since you have another big brainy surgery to get to."

"Dorme-"

"And you know what, just because you can't have a baby doesn't give you a right to be a bitch to the people who just want to help." Dorme walked quickly past her, ignoring her attempts to apologize.

Padme debated running after her friend, but she couldn't bring her feet to move. With a shake of her head, she decided it was best to give them some time apart. This wasn't the first time she had been thoughtless since the fertility center. And not just to Dorme but practically everyone. Her parents, her friends, even Anakin. Her parents call her almost daily now trying to get her to talk about it. Her friends try to cheer her up with spa days, shopping, bars, and clubs. And her husband tries to get them back to their normal routines before all this happened. She doesn't want to talk about it. She doesn't need cheering up. And she doesn't know how to return to normal when she can't even return her husband's affections, which only makes her feel more wretched.

It's only while working she feels anything close to being like she used to. Working forces her to push all her worries away and allows her to focus solely on the patient. Working means she can ignore her parent's calls. It means she can avoid her friends trying to make plans. It means she isn't thinking about her infertility. Is it smart to avoid the problem? Probably not. But for her, it feels like it is the only thing keeping her sane.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket, pulling her from her thoughts. Padme shakes her head before she looks at the message, taking a moment to clear her head so she can focus on her work. A small smile formed on her face as she turned around and made her way back to the OR level. It was time for her spinal surgery.

[][][][]

The patient from the ER that had come in not even an hour ago was a confusing individual. The teenager's symptoms were irregular even for a cardio patient and as Ben typed away at the computer to figure it out, Anakin sat at the other end of the desk providing what help he could while he ate a bag of chips for a snack between surgery. Ben's eye twitched as he typed and let out a groan. "Do you have to eat here?" He asked.

Anakin paused, the chip halfway to his mouth before giving a shrug and popping it in his mouth. "I'm hungry," He said simply. "And I got time to help you out."

"Really? Are you sure it's not just because Padme's been off for the past couple weeks?"

He scoffed, "No… maybe?" He said, placing the bag on the desk and dragging his hands through his hair. "What am I supposed to do?" He groaned. "I can't- I don't know what to do to make things better. I'm trying to make things as normal as possible but she doesn't tell me anything anymore, she isn't acting like herself and it's like… it's like she put a wall between us and I can't seem to get over it."

Ben paused in his search and turned to face his friend, "I don't really know what to tell you," He said. "Padme is one of the most down to Earth people I know. But everyone has something that is just… too much to take. I mean, how long has she wanted to have kids? Not just with you, but in general."

He gave a shrug, "I don't know, probably since she was a kid. She used to babysit, did those after school programs looking after the younger kids…"

The older man nodded and stroked his beard thoughtfully, "And her mom wanted her to have kids, and her sister has kids… and she can't."

"She could," Anakin argued, "It wouldn't be easy, but it's possible."

Ben let out a sigh and shook his head, "Anakin, no matter how… determined you are, maybe you need to be more realistic and imagine not being able to have that with her."

He shook his head, "I just want her to be happy."

"I know," He said. "This isn't something you can fix, though. Give her time. Let her figure this out on her own. You're doing the best thing you can for her. You're not forcing her into the conversation and you're giving her stability. That's what she needs and just be there when she needs you. It's for the best." Ben turned back to the computer, resuming his search as Anakin took in his words.

It made sense to him. Anakin knew Ben was right and that he was doing all he could. But he had never been able to do nothing while the people he cared about were hurting. He always had to do something because in his mind there was nothing that couldn't be fixed. He hated the powerlessness he felt. Was it not his job to protect her? To protect her heart? As her husband, he should, and knowing he can't, kills him every time he sees that far off look she gets when she thinks about it and she thinks he doesn't see it. He can't help her. And against every instinct he has, he resolves himself to simply be there for her.


	12. Chapter 12

**Honestly, not 100% happy with this chapter but I've spent the last several weeks trying to rewrite it and I had like 12 different versions of it. This one just happened to be the best one and I am eager to move on to the next portion of this story. I'm starting to think it might actually be shorter than I originally planned since there are some things that I had planned that I will probably cut... we'll see what comes of it though.**

 **Happy Reading!**

 **-DFD**

* * *

Chapter 12

By the time she got off work Anakin had long since gone home. She had taken a few extra hours due mainly to the recent number of head traumas that had come in a few days prior. Padme hated the distance that had come between them over the past few months but she felt it was necessary since he seemed to be waiting for her to fall apart at any moment. He wants so desperately for things to get back to normal but she doesn't see that happening.

Walking out of the hospital she checked her phone only to see a text from Anakin sitting on the screen. "Miss me?" It read. Her brow furrowed as she read it and looked up intent on opening the driver side door of her car only to find the seat already occupied by Anakin. "Miss me?" He asked, a cocky smirk on his face.

"What are you still doing here?" she asked. "I thought you went home hours ago."

Anakin gave a shrug. "Thought about it, decided to wait for you instead. Now get in we're going somewhere."

Padme shifted her weight and checked her watch. "It's one in the morning. I just want to go home and go to sleep."

"Just get in," He said, cocking his head to the passenger seat. "You can sleep on the way. Now come on."

She crossed her arms and looked around the parking lot for a moment as she tried to calculate how long it would take him to give up this ridiculous idea and just go home. But as the minutes passed, she remembered how persistent he was when he really wanted something. And the determined look in his eyes told her she wasn't going to win this time. With a sigh, she shook her head and she climbed into the passenger seat.

He smiled and leaned over and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Just rest now, Angel. It's a long drive where we're going."

"And where is that exactly?"

He held a finger to his lips, "It's a surprise," He said, turning over the engine and pulling out of the parking spot and navigating the lot to the street. "Just rest," He said again.

Padme yawned and leaned to rest her head against the window, deciding to listen to him if only so she would have enough energy to lecture him later, though in truth it was because she was just too tired to stay awake any longer.

[][][][]

She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep. But as the car came to a stop and the soothing vibrations ended, her eyes cracked open slightly, squinting against the light of the Sun peeking through the trees. Beside her, Anakin sat with his hands still on the wheel and his eyes looking straight ahead. Padme turned to see what he was looking at and her breath caught when she saw the house they were parked in front of.

Anakin got out of the car and popped the trunk, pulling out a suitcase. Without a word to her, he wheeled the bag to the steps before carrying it up and disappearing behind the wall of the house. Fumbling with the door handle, she climbed out of the car and walked slowly as her legs tingled from sleeping in the cramped space of the car all night. She looked up as she came to stand at the bottom of the steps. Anakin must have gone inside to bring the bag to the master suite. Slowly, she started to climb up, taking in the warm light the sun cast on the steps to the familiar songs the morning birds sang. Even now at her lowest, this place still had the power to make her feel happy.

As much as she is grateful her husband has brought her here, she can't help but wonder what possessed him to drive all night just to get to the lake house. It wasn't a holiday and they both had to work on Monday so that would mean they would only be there for a few hours before having to leave for home again. What was he thinking?

Anakin emerged from the doors on the far side of the house. His eyes met hers a moment before he turned his back and went to lean against the railing, staring out over the lake. She shifted her feet several times before the curiosity of what he was planning got to her and she went to stand beside him. Her eyes darted between him to her left and the birds out in front of them. "Do you remember when we first came here?" He asked. "I kissed you for the first time right here," He said with a smile. "I told you I loved you for the first time in this house. We made love in this house… more times than I can count. I also married you twice on this very terrace," He turned his head to her at last and in the depths of his eyes, she could see how serious he was right now. Anakin was a fun-loving guy at heart. He liked to joke, play games, and enjoy whatever life gave him. Rarely was he ever serious unless it was required by his profession so for him to be as serious as he was right now, spoke volumes to how serious this was to him. "When I married you, I tied my life to yours. I swore to be there for you, to go through things with you. How can I do that when you don't tell me anything?"

Her gaze dropped to the stone railing, her fingers traced over the hard ridges of the rock as she gathered her thoughts. There was so much she felt and absolutely no words to describe it - at least not in a way he would understand. He's a man. The idea of children for men is completely different from a woman's. The way a father connects with a child isn't the same as a mother. For a woman, the connection is more physical and psychological, and in some ways, spiritual. Sola had said that carrying a child was the most difficult nine months of her life and yet also the most magical and most rewarding. Is it really too much to ask for the same thing? And how does she explain it to her husband?

She took a breath, "Ani… it won't make any sense to you."

He gave a shrug, "Help me understand it then." She fell silent again and he turned to face her fully, "I'm here with you for everything- the good and the bad. Nothing will ever change that." From the set of his shoulders, she knew he was determined to figure this out and who was she to deny him at least the chance?

"I've wanted a family for as long as I can remember. I also wanted to excel at my career. And in the end, I chose my career over a family so many times, and now that I'm ready, now that I have the perfect job, the perfect guy and everything feels like it's all going to fall into place…" She shakes her head and scoffs, "I can't. I waited too long."

Anakin nods and waited a moment to speak. "There are other options-"

"I don't want the other options," She snapped. "You don't get it. You will never understand what it's like to carry another life inside you. To feel their every move. To bring that child into the world. That's what I want. And you will never understand that. And neither will I, apparently."

He gave a shrug, "Maybe I won't ever understand it," He said. "But I don't need to to know how much you're hurting because of this. You won't talk to anyone and the people you have talked to, you've pushed them away," He shook his head, "I want you to be happy. And right now, there's really only one thing that can do it," He gave her a smile and she raised her brow at him, trying to read him before he spoke again. "We're going to make a baby," He declared, his eyes flashing dangerously as he looked into her eyes.

"We can't," She argued.

Anakin scoffed, "Says who? The doctor? They said _unlikely_. I don't know what dictionary you've read, but to my understanding _unlikely_ and _impossible_ are two completely different things."

"Even so," She argued, "What if it is? What if…" What if they don't conceive?

He smiled at her and gave her hand a squeeze. "If it really is impossible, we'll get through it together. Until then, let's make sure we don't waste what time we have left."

Padme thought about it for several minutes. While she was glad he was being optimistic, she was afraid to get her hopes up by it and the thought of all the negative pregnancy tests they would likely face terrified her knowing any one of them could be the last.

Anakin seemed to sense her fears and took her by the shoulders. "We'll do everything we can to make sure it happens," He said. "Take off work to limit stress, stop drinking, diet… whatever it takes," The corner of his lips curled into a determined half smirk. "I'm going to give you that baby," He promised.

Closing her eyes, she played his words over in her head again. She wanted to believe him. But the numbers told a different story - one she was used to listening to and one she based her professional decisions on. It was difficult for her to disregard that story for the sake of belief. And knowing Anakin had the same training she felt slightly envious he could rely on belief so easily. With a sigh, she nodded and opened her eyes to meet his and she knew he was strong enough to believe for them both.

[][][][]

Anakin groaned as he shifted onto his stomach and buried his head under the pillow. He was tired. After everything had been somewhat resolved with Padme, they had spent the next two days just talking, slowly taking down the wall she had built between them and little by little, she let him in, revealing her fears, baring her soul to him again and allowing herself to lean on him and let him take some of the weight of her worries. It wasn't easy and the past few days had been filled with such emotional strife, he was glad on their final day here that they managed to leave things on a high note that culminated in the previous night's activities.

He was glad to know she had missed him just as much as he missed her. The last time they had been together with that much pent up sexual tension had been back when they had started dating again. And if he was honest with himself, the previous night had to be the most memorable night they'd had in a while.

The bed shifted beside him and he turned to face his sleeping wife. Her hair was messed and her mouth hung open adorably as she breathed softly. He couldn't resist leaning his head closer and kissing the tip of her nose. Her eyes wrinkled at the action and he smirked as he leaned to repeat the action several more times until her eyes cracked open. "Hi," He said, smiling lazily at her.

"Hi…" She returned, raking her eyes over his half covered form.

He smirked, "See something you like?"

She sighed and turned to lay on her side, pulling the sheets up to cover her chest. The smile on his face dropped at the simple action. She was having regrets. He tried to convince himself he was overreacting, that it didn't mean anything, that maybe she was cold or something. But the look in her eyes and the rueful sigh she gave told him all he needed to know before she spoke. "Ani… I don't think this is a good idea," She said.

"What do you mean?"

She gave a shrug, "I just… I feel like we're setting ourselves up for disappointment."

"I don't think that," He said. "And since when are you the pessimist? As long as I've known you, you've always tried to find the good in everything."

"Anakin-"

"-Listen," He cut her off, sitting up on his side to face her, "It won't be easy, but it is still possible. And so long as this is still what you want, I want to keep trying. I'd rather we fail than give up too soon." He watched her reaction carefully, practically hearing the wheels in her head turn as she tried to come up with a response. He knew his wife well enough to know how much she struggled choosing between logic and heart. For him it was easy. He almost always listened to his heart over logic and only bent to it in the most critical of times or when logic outweighed the other. For Padme, it was the opposite. She was the more logical of the two of them and it was a challenge for her to take a chance based on nothing more than hope. It was one of the reasons winning her love back was so difficult. But he was willing to work for it then, there was no reason for him not to this time.

Her eyes closed as she wordlessly shifted closer to him. Wrapping his arms around her, he ran his fingers through her hair, hoping to ease her troubled mind and help her to believe his words too. "I'm afraid," She mumbled into his chest.

His arms wrapped tighter and he let out a sigh, "I am too," He admitted. "But we're fine now, right?"

She was silent and he noticed her eyes on her hand as she traced lazy patterns on his chest. "No, not yet anyway… but we're getting there."

Anakin stiffened under her as he repressed the urge to argue but he knew she was right. They had only just started opening up about all of this and they had only scratched the surface of it. Healing would take time. But now that they were in it together, at least they could start.


	13. AN

Hello! I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted on this story. I got caught up in a bunch of other things, some of which being other stories that this one just kinda got left out to dry. I'll be honest, after going through what I've already written, there is a lot in this story that I like but also a lot that I don't like and after spending some time going over what I can do to finish it, I have made the decision to go through with a rewrite. The pace of it right now doesn't work with me and I think I can do a much better job writing it more as a collection of one-shots than trying to drag it out as I have been doing. I still haven't decided how I'm going to post it yet, right now I think I'll do it as a new story just to give it a clean slate. I will post another update to this story once I publish it so keep your eyes out for that!

Thank you all so much for your patience! I'll try to get something written soon!


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